


Masks off

by emulikule



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: AU, Friends to Lovers, Kinda, M/M, Secret Identities, coming to terms with your own self, fancy parties, late 19th century, masquerades
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-08-27 14:00:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8404351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emulikule/pseuds/emulikule
Summary: And so the story goes that a playboy comes to a town, makes it fall in love with him and then proceeds to get himself enticed by the most mysterious person there. Wait... did it really go like that?





	1. About a traveler and a dancer

**Author's Note:**

> I guess you could call this a spin on Yuuri’s story. I want to apologize in advance about any inaccuracies concerning the time period, the music, the outfits etc. The general atmosphere is about late 19th century, but this is essentially an off the hook AU where anything goes, so there will be some more modern elements here and there. That said, I hope you enjoy it.

On a lazy summer day nobody had expected their town to be essentially invaded by a handsome stranger. The traveller called himself Viktor and told that he was from a faraway country in the north to anyone who would listen to him, and that was a lot of people. Crowds gathered just to see his fair complexion, his ashen hair and his flirtatious ways. Everyone was in awe from both his stories of the world outside of their little quaint town and the way he carried himself, as if he fully understood the impact he had on these people and relished in it. By the end of the day the stranger had been offered numerous places to stay the night and he gladly agreed, taking his hefty collection of bags, the dog and horse that had travelled there with him.

The town fell in love with him.

Every day a pack of people would follow him around, answering any questions he had and hanging on his every word. A few had tried flirting back at him, though no one was sure if anyone succeeded in the attempts to entrance the traveller just like he had them. It seemed as if he was extremely public and yet an enigma at the same time.

The news about the exotic stranger from the North caught even the nobles’ attention. The town had a small collection of aristocracy who lived in a mansion and more or less governed over it. They found it interesting that such a captivating figure had appeared in their remote place and declared that they would throw a welcoming masquerade ball just to celebrate his arrival. The townspeople laughed at the nobles’ excuse to throw yet another party – usually they didn’t even bother to come up with one.

The moment the news came out Viktor was swarmed by people asking him if he would attend, if he had a costume planned, if he would bring a date with him or if he would try to stay secretive, seeing as it was a masquerade this time. He laughed merrily at the questions and said that he would keep everything a surprise until the day of the party came.

“These are such great news!” a woman at his table exclaimed with a gleam in her eyes. “We will have two reasons to attend the ball this time!”

“Two?” Viktor asked with a curious tone. “I know one of them is me, but what’s the other?”

“Oh, he doesn’t know about the Dancer, right?” a man called out from the other side of the table.

“I don’t think anyone mentioned them to him,” another one interjected.

“Do tell,” Viktor flashed a smile at them. Another famous figure in this town?

A waitress that had just brought the group of people their drinks answered as she was putting down his glass, “The Dancer is a mysterious person who graces every party that the nobles throw with their presence. They are a mystery to everyone as their identity is the biggest secret this town has,” the guests around the table murmured in agreement. “They never fail to show up, but every time it’s with a different costume that never fully shows who could be underneath it. The only ways to differentiate the Dancer from the other guests is by the mask that they always wear and their amazing skill on the dancefloor. Men and women gather just to catch a glimpse of their stunning beauty and to get a chance to dance together with them.”

“It’s a privilege, you know,” a younger girl added, “the Dancer doesn’t just choose anyone as their partner – you have to show that you’re good enough for them. Some take it as a contest even.”

“The faces of those who get rejected are always the best,” an already slightly tipsy man laughed. “Especially those who are so smug and sure that they’ll get a dance.”

Viktor whistled, “This Dancer person sure sounds like an attraction. And you said they never miss a single ball?”

“None so far.”

“And trust us, there have been a lot.”

“It’s been at least a few years and they never fail to surprise,” a girl said in a dreamy voice. “I’m still gathering courage to ask them for a dance.”

At that Viktor suddenly stood up from his seat theatrically putting his foot on the table, gathering the attention of the whole place. “If what you say is true, then I shall definitely attend this masquerade!” he announced to the myriad of people who had now turned their attention to him. The ones at his table reacted with enthusiasm while the others smiled at the eccentric foreigner. It was about time their little town gathered some new attractions.

* * *

 

The day of the masquerade drew near and everyone who was planning on attending waited in anxious excitement. Since the nobles threw parties quite often their only condition of attendance was a moderately fancy outfit and a mask if the occasion called for it. A lot of the townspeople had saved up or made their own dresses and costumes and just reused the same ones over and over. Some of the richer ones had several to shift between and the most well-off came with a different outfit every single time.

Viktor wasn’t new to extravagant parties. Quite the contrary – they were so usual to him it was almost part of his daily life. Most of the other places he had gone to had at least one or two grander balls during his stay and back in his home he was usually the one throwing them himself. That said, there was no doubt that he would be attending this one too, he just wanted to keep the mystery at least for a bit. Though when he heard about the enigmatic Dancer he just couldn’t contain himself anymore. It was always more interesting if there was a sort of game he could play. Perhaps he could even unmask them? He laughed at that thought to himself. First of all, he just wanted to see what the whole fuss was about.

He picked one of the outfits that he had brought with himself – an eye-catching garment that made him appear reminiscent of a nobleman, though the flushed colour and moderately open front made it clear that he wasn’t planning on being business-like or too sophisticated. After all, the party was primarily being thrown in his honour. He might as well entertain the guests.

It didn’t take long to locate the mansion even though Viktor hadn’t visited it yet during his stay. The people in the streets were also more than happy to show him the way and so he finally arrived there with a considerable amount of entourage. Near the entrance everyone surrounding him took out their masks for the evening and so he followed their lead. Most of them were simple white ones with a few more flashy and colourful. Viktor’s own was a slick black one that covered the right side of his face. He figured people would still easily discern him from his light hair, seeing as most of the population there were dark haired, so he saw no real reason to fully mask himself.

The mansion itself was fairly big and Viktor could see huge gardens stretching out from the sides of it and most likely behind it. Even if the town itself was on the smaller scale, it seemed that the aristocracy there were well off. Their group was greeted by a few guards at the entrance who let them through, wishing the guests an entertaining night. It surely looked like this place was relaxed.

The inside was already filled with people as Viktor stepped in to look around. There was more than enough space for everyone there, even if it seemed as if half of the town had gathered in the luxurious hall. A soothing sound of waltz caught his attention and before he knew it, someone was already asking him for a dance. Viktor happily agreed and let himself be swept on the dancefloor with the sea of people surrounding him from all sides. Even if not everyone had afforded flashy materials for their outfits, the whole place still pulsed with colour. The girl dancing with him wore an elegant blue dress, a sparkling silver mask and a bright smile as they moved step by step to the rhythm. Viktor smiled to her in return and added a wink from his visible eye.

The evening drew on as people one after the other invited Viktor to be their partner for the song. The hall was alive with people moving in chaos and yet in unison as they all either danced their hearts out to the various styles of music that were played, or mingled with others on the side-lines, enjoying the food and drinks that were offered. Viktor had to admit – these people knew how to have a good time. The nobles had appeared and announced themselves once as they welcomed the new arrival before swiftly disappearing from the top of the stairs in the abundance of guests down below. Everyone was familiar with everyone and the masks helped that even more.

The only thing that was missing was the Dancer.

Viktor had tried looking for them and he heard people mentioning them, but whenever he would try going to where they were last sighted he would either be intercepted by someone asking him to dance with them or he would get there too late and see no one matching the description. He knew that the Dancer always wore the same mask – a checker patterned one that gradually dissolved into white on the right side of their face. He had yet to see anyone wearing anything similar to that.

After a while Viktor had begun thinking that maybe the elusive figure was avoiding him on purpose, already having deemed him unworthy of their time. A thought had even crossed his mind that perhaps there was no Dancer to begin with, just an elaborate hoax that the townspeople had come up with to confuse a stranger. He got rid of that quickly though. It was pretty clear that that wasn’t the deal. He knew people wouldn’t lie to him, especially to this extent. That still didn’t negate the fact that the attraction of the night was yet to be seen by him.

Finally, when the evening had ended and the night was halfway to morning, when the people in the hall had begun disappearing one by one and the music had shifted to the slower melodies, he finally saw someone matching the description he had in his mind the entire time he had been there.

In the middle of the dancefloor a couple stood out from the rest; a darker skinned young man, whom Viktor recognized as one of the nobles, wearing a striking golden tuxedo and an ornate indigo mask, and next to him a slightly taller person with a black costume that looked as if it had a half finished skirt, at least from the back. Viktor couldn’t see their front as they were turned away from him, but the few transparent parts and scattered crystals on the outfit glistened underneath the bright lights of the room. He couldn’t help but watch as the couple moved gracefully in sync with each other and finally he saw the other person turn.

A sense of delight washed over him as he saw the checker mask. The Dancer was right in front of him and he could finally see them fully in their elegant black ensemble, the paper-thin parts enticing the imagination, and yet the costume revealing nothing about the person’s gender. Viktor could have easily imagined anyone wearing that and yet he didn’t think that anyone could pull it off as well as the person before him. Well, maybe except for Viktor himself.

As the song came to an end he could barely hold himself still, wanting to catch the Dancer before they ran off somewhere again. The young nobleman smiled cheerfully at his partner, no apparent fatigue on his face from the late hours, before letting go of them and noticing Viktor.

“Oh, it’s such an honour to meet you,” he said in a happy tone as he extended his hand. Viktor shook it, though he still kept a part of his attention on the person lingering next to them. “On behalf of the house I welcome you again and hope that you are enjoying yourself to the fullest.”

“The sentiment is all mine,” Viktor answered with a smile of his own and turned his head slightly to wink at the Dancer.

The nobleman noticed this small exchange and a grin lit up his handsome face. “I see that you have your sights on our dear performer. Just your luck – there’s probably only one song left for the night.” He gestured for the person to come closer and took their hand. “I believe the two honour guests should take this chance to get to know each other better,” as he said that he also took Viktor’s hand and brought the two together. “I would love to see the performance the two of you will put on.”

Viktor took the slightly smaller hand in his and tried to look at the eyes beneath the monotone mask. Even though they were cast in a light shadow he could still make out the rich brown colour and the glint of light reflecting from the chandelier above them.

“As luck would have it,” the noble spoke up again, “since it’s the last song the musicians usually choose a more energetic tune to close everything off. I hope you saved up some stamina,” he chirped and turned on his heel, leaving the two alone.

There were still some people left on the dancefloor, but there was plenty of space if an energetic song came on. Viktor felt the ache of his body telling him that he had already overexerted himself that day, dancing with everyone who had asked him, but he forgot that as he looked at the person before him. He needed to astound them and leave a good impression. That was the one thing he had set for himself that night.

The first strings of a guitar resounded. “Flamenco?” Viktor murmured, more to himself than anything. The Dancer shrugged slightly and before he knew it the song was picking up and the two of them had started moving without him even thinking about it.

Not exactly, he thought as a hint of western themes caught his ears, but that was mostly at the back of his mind as he watched the fluid movements of the one before him which seemed to have the one goal of completely seducing him. Of course, he didn’t give in either as the two of them danced around each other. The speed of the music didn’t let them get too close at first and Viktor didn’t know the Dancer at all to even guess their moving patterns, but he felt that he needed to get closer.

Momentarily, the song shifted into a slightly slower pace and as Viktor was planning on getting closer, the Dancer stepped in first and moved their body alongside his. Since the song required a lot of hand movements, Viktor instinctively drew his to their face, still careful of the mask, and moved them down to the sides, finally taking his partner’s hand in his. The person immediately spun away, showing their back to him again and leaning into him, their interlocked hands briefly resting on the rising and falling darkly clad chest. Viktor couldn’t help but enjoy the soft tickle of the short slicked-back hair as the Dancer easily leaned most of their bodyweight on him and quickly turned to face him again.

This time was Viktor’s turn to spin vigorously as the two of them had begun acting out a story in their movements. He felt as if he knew what the both of them were telling without any words, only using their bodies. A story that had begun the moment he had set foot in this town. A story of enticements, though he wasn’t sure which one of them was acting out that part, perhaps both of them.

At some point Viktor had grabbed the Dancer’s waist with one of his hands and as the last chords played out they arched their back and leaned all the way down, completely trusting Viktor to not let them fall backwards on the floor. As he had yet again taken one of their hands in his this meant that he also needed to lean down, both of them stretching the arms that were interlocked over their heads and both of them leaning so close that their abdomen brushed against each other, their masks almost clacking at their noses. The Dancer’s eyes were sparkling and Viktor knew that his were too.

As they finally drew back, slightly panting and dishevelled from the energetic dance, a sound of applause echoed through the hall. Viktor saw the dark-skinned noble clapping enthusiastically as he smiled warmly at them. Some other people who hadn’t been dancing were also standing in awe and they quickly joined in with the noble.

Viktor ceremoniously bowed down to them before turning back to his partner to do the same. They curtsied with the part of their costume that looked like a skirt. A confident smile laid on their face as they stood back up.

“I don’t believe I caught your name,” Viktor tried his luck, hoping that in the heat of the moment the figure would forget their act of secrecy.

The Dancer’s smile turned into a smirk as they brought their index finger to their lips and winked back at him. He should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.

“That was amazing!” a voice suddenly called out and Viktor turned to see the same noble approaching them again.

“Why thank you,” he bowed slightly once more. “I do pride myself in these skills after all.”

“I could see that. Oh, how rude of me, I haven’t yet introduced myself,” the man covered his mouth a bit before taking off his mask, revealing eyes as dark as his hair. “My name is Phichit and I am one of the hosts here.”

“A pleasure,” Viktor took off his mask too.

“So the stranger from the North is as good of a dancer as our own idol, perhaps even better. Those are surely great news,” Phichit beamed.

“You really think so? I would love to see more of you…” Viktor trailed off as he turned to address the Dancer who was nowhere to be seen.

“Don’t worry, they do that all the time. Especially when the party is about to end.”

“They disappear without a trace?”

“Indeed, just like a fairy tale, don’t you think?”

“Quite so.”

“Anyway,” the noble chirped again, “I have a preposition for you if you wouldn’t mind hearing me out.” Viktor nodded and he continued, “We have been looking for some time for a person who could teach the art of dancing to those willing to learn. Of course, we have tried to ask our mystery guest numerous times, but they always decline,” he shook his head dejectedly before turning back to his bright self again, “So seeing you tonight gave me another idea. How about you?”

“You want me to be a teacher?” Viktor asked in amusement. He had never really considered trying that.

“If you would accept. It would be for as long as you choose and we would provide you the necessary place to conduct these lessons alongside personal rooms in our quarters.”

The offer did sound intriguing and the thought of living in this extravagant mansion was more than appealing. But over these reasons one stood out stronger in Viktor’s head – he would have more chances of finding the Dancer.

He had already thought that they might be a person of a higher rank, seeing as they always came dressed in different expensive fabrics, and now he had a chance to easily scout out the entire mansion without any holdbacks. Was there even a reason for him to decline?

“Alright,” he extended his hand, “I agree.”

Phichit exclaimed happily and took his hand to shake on the deal.

“Then let me show you to your room.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it wasn't clear, the [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GUMP6NNacc&t=1s) that they danced to   
> The outfits they wore are the FS for Viktor and the SP for Yuuri, just modified slightly to fit better for dancing on the ground instead of the ice


	2. About a stranger and a servant

Yuuri got up in the morning slightly groggy, having gone to bed late last night. The light coming through the cracks in the curtains certainly did not help either. Even so, he couldn’t stay in too long since his daily duties were coming up soon. At least there was the consolation that he didn’t have a lot of them today.

The first on the list was airing out the morning’s laundry. There was always a lot more of it the day after a party was held. He didn’t mind, though, he had always liked how the extravagant and flashy costumes looked.

While coming back from outside with an empty basket in hands he was intercepted by two of his friends who also worked alongside him in the mansion. Takeshi and Yuko stood in front of him in the hallway, practically blocking it, and sported wide grins on their faces, which made Yuuri slightly uncomfortable.

“H-hi there,” he managed, though he knew that whatever they were going to say or do would probably be less than enjoyable for him.

“Hello, Yuuri!” Yuko chirped, “How are you feeling today?”

“Fine, I guess,” he answered cautiously.

“Great then,” Takeshi stepped closer and leaned down to face him better, “that means you’ll be able to come with us to the lesson.”

“Lesson?” Yuuri looked past him at Yuko. “What is he talking about?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear?” she cocked her head in a cute fashion, “There will be dance lessons today for anyone who wants to attend and Takeshi and I are definitely going. I was hoping you would join us too. We know how much you love doing that.”

“I don’t really…”

“Yes you do, mister ‘Dancing with others is against my upbringing’,” Takeshi slung his arm over Yuuri’s shoulders and leaned his weight on him, slightly knocking the air from his lungs. “We’re not taking no for an answer.”

“Alright, I’ll go,” Yuuri sighed, but when he saw Yuko smiling encouragingly at him he couldn’t help but smile back.

Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad.

* * *

 

It was bad.

One of the reasons why was the fact that the teacher the nobles had found was apparently the eccentric stranger about whom half the town was talking. Yuuri had seen him a couple of days ago while he was in the marketplace for a regular errand and the man was surrounded by people. He had to admit, from what he could see standing some distance away – the man was attractive, but the fact that so many people were around him dampened any interest he would have had in approaching him.

Now that he was standing in front of him he really couldn’t find another excuse to turn away and speed-walk out of the room.

The second reason was exactly what he had expected coming here. He had slightly hoped that perhaps by now his weird uncomfortableness of dancing while being watched by others would have subsided, but to no avail. He would have even said that it might have become stronger.

Everything had started out somewhat normally. Sure, he was taken aback by being in the same room as the town’s gossip source, but that wasn’t so bad after the initial shock. Viktor had introduced himself and welcomed everyone for coming on such a short notice. He had explained that he was offered this job only the day before and was quite surprised himself for having the first lesson so early, but that was the nobles’ wishes and he couldn’t say no to his hosts.

The room was a spacious one, several of its walls completely covered in mirrors and one of them lined with large windows which were letting in the bright noon sun. There was a number of people as well – most of which were other servants, though Yuuri saw a couple higher-ups too. He was glad to see Phichit there as the other had waved their trio over as soon as they had entered the room.

“I thought you had said that you don’t dance,” he said as they walked to where he was standing, more to the back of the other people.

“I don’t really, but I figured I could at least try,” Yuuri answered, trying to convince himself by those words as well.

“He says that, but a few minutes ago he wanted nothing to do with it,” Takeshi joined in.

“Takeshi,” Yuko’s voice sounded warningly and the other man just grinned as he stopped talking.

“Well, I think this Viktor fellow might be able to help you with that,” Phichit said. “I saw him yesterday partnered up with the Dancer and let me tell you – he was just as good as them, dare I say maybe even better?” he grinned mischievously and Yuuri laughed at that.

“If you say so then that means he should really be something. I’m even feeling a bit sad that I didn’t go to the party myself to see him in action.”

“I also saw him last night, even got a dance with him,” Yuko said as Takeshi let out a small ‘hey’. “I think that he should be a pretty good teacher.”

“If he manages to help me then he’ll be a miracle worker,” Yuuri let out a small laugh, but before they could continue Viktor was clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention.

The lesson had started out with some stretching exercises and at first it wasn’t so bad. Some people were better, some worse, but Yuuri was fine with just stretching. Actually, he was quite good at it, his body flexible enough to easily mimic everything that Viktor was showing. The exercises were mostly the usual ones, though the room did stop for a moment to wonder if their teacher fully knew what he was doing when he had squatted down and explained that it was a regular stretching action back in his home.

The hard part came when they began learning actual dancing moves.

Viktor had decided that slow songs and easy movements would be best for the beginners, and to those who already had the basics – they could just hone what they already knew. At first he just showed some movements and had everyone repeat them, but after a while he began walking around and giving pointers, fixing some stances and trying to help everyone individually as others were left to practise with their friends or acquaintances until he came to them.

Yuuri had tried to pay as much attention as he could to everything that Viktor had said and showed and ignoring others wasn’t too hard when he knew that nobody was really focused on him, but when he saw Viktor coming towards their little circle he felt dread washing over him.

He and Phichit had been trying to mimic the few simple waltz moves and he had tried focusing as hard as he could on his legs, though he had still stepped on his friend’s at least a couple of times. He could hear Viktor near them, showing Takeshi the exact hand movements he needed to do while dancing with Yuko and he knew that their pair would be next.

“Well you’re quite stiff, aren’t you?” he heard the words right next to his ear.

Jumping back and covering his ear he saw Phichit laughing heartily as Viktor stood next to him with an amused look on his face. Did this man have no sense of personal space?

“I know,” he mumbled as he got back to Phichit and took his hand to show Viktor what they had been learning.

Yuuri tried, he really did, but the knowledge that he was being intently observed and studied while feeling his friend’s gaze as well was just too much. He messed up almost immediately and soon after his mind was reeling with thoughts that made him forget what move came after what. Phichit was obviously trying to help him, leading his movements, but that wasn’t enough.

“Let’s stop there,” he heard Viktor say and his heart sank.

The pair separated and Yuuri held his head low, not wanting to look him in the eyes.

“I see that you’re trying, but you really need to loosen up,” Viktor spoke as he took Phichit’s place and began to move before Yuuri could respond. “You have to follow what your partner is doing, but you also don’t need to overthink too much about what you yourself are doing.”

At the very first moment that Viktor had taken his hand and begun moving, Yuuri had yet to realise what exactly was happening, so in the few seconds that his mind was processing things his body easily moved on its own, but when his mind caught up the illusion was promptly broken. His feet clumsily stumbled upon each other and the only reason why he didn’t fall was the fact that Viktor had been firmly holding onto him. He felt the heat rushing to his ears and the only thing he could say were quick apologies.

Viktor had tried a few more times to help him, but none of that bore fruit. Phichit didn’t really need much help as he already had more than enough practise as a constant host of the parties and had only come here to pass his time. He was supportive of Yuuri and dancing with him was at least moderately embarrassing compared to the disaster that came with trying to dance with Viktor. The fact that he was a complete stranger and handsome to boost didn’t do wonders to his self-consciousness.

Yuuri walked out as soon as the lesson ended, feeling no need to listen when the next one would be held. His friends followed suit, telling him how fun everything was and how these lessons could really help him, but he didn’t pay much attention to that.

He knew he couldn’t do it.

* * *

 

If anyone had asked, Viktor would have said that he was having a pleasant time living at the mansion. The rooms he had been given were spacious and the nobles hadn’t mentioned anything about his pet, so Makkachin had free roam everywhere. The servants were friendly and not too uptight - quite different from the other upper class places he had previously visited. Teaching the dancing lessons wasn’t too hard, though he did need to focus on other people, which was a bit unusual for him.

All in all, he was living the life here.

He had heard that another party would probably happen soon as the nobles absolutely loved them and didn’t search too hard for excuses to organize them, so finding out that another would be thrown in just two weeks after the first one he had attended wasn’t too surprising. Thoughts of the Dancer would occupy his mind from time to time, leaving him anxious to see them again. He had tried looking for them amongst the people in the mansion, but the fact that seemingly half the people in this town had short dark hair – most likely for convenience purposes – didn’t really help. Their body had also been fairly average, leaving Viktor with a lot of choices for possible candidates. 

He had hoped that perhaps the Dancer would have attended his dancing lessons, but that didn’t seem the case either as none of the people attending them had shown exceptional skills. Most of them were complete beginners with a few who actually knew what they were doing. Some new faces appeared every few lessons and some had left, but overall the majority that had attended the first one stayed for the following ones.

One day after the lessons Viktor had decided to go for a walk to further explore the layout of the mansion that he was now living in. He had yet to spend a lot of time outside in the vast gardens, so he took Makkachin in tow before heading out there. Some people had greeted him here and there, but it seemed that everyone was busy with their own work that day to follow him or show him around.

The weather outside that day was slightly chillier considering it was summer, though not nearly as cold as in the North. Makkachin was happy to get some fresh air and was energetically jumping around as Viktor leisurely strolled along the paved pathways. There were various assortments of flowers, most of which were colour coded, and they produced a pleasant aroma to enjoy for anyone walking past them.

Further on, a maze of hedges appeared and Viktor couldn’t really avoid going in there, seeing as Makkachin was more than willing to explore them. The two managed not to get separated, but it was clear that they were far from knowing where they were going. The air gradually got colder and from where he was walking Viktor could see dark clouds forming in the sky. He quickened the pace and eventually he and Makkachin got outside of the maze. The only problem now was that they were in a completely different place than from where they had entered and Viktor could see no people around, only a few pathways and a myriad of trees.

He decided the best action would be to just follow the pathway and hope that it would eventually lead back to the mansion or at least to a shelter from the oncoming rain. A few minutes passed with him and his pet walking in silence before a soft rustling sound came from somewhere further ahead. Curious, Viktor followed it and after a few more paces a hum could be heard accompanying the rustle of fabric and light steps.

As he walked further, a clearing opened up from the path. There were some benches placed along the sides of it and a number of garden lanterns scattered around. Their gentle green-blue light fell upon a lone figure in the middle of the paved clearing as Viktor stood in silence underneath the shadows of the trees and watched the person elegantly move to the melody that they were humming. Even Makkachin was staying put and silent, seemingly not wanting to disturb the serene scene.

A few raindrops fell, but that didn’t appear to distract the person as they were focused on the mix of ballet and waltz that they were doing. Their movements were graceful and easy, as if they had been doing this their whole life. The simple dark clothing only accentuated their form as it painted a fluid image that fit perfectly to the pleasant tune.

Upon a closer look, Viktor could see that the person was a man. Perhaps one of the servants? He thought that he had seen him somewhere before, but his memory didn’t really offer any suggestions. He could have been someone from his lessons.

The minutes passed with only the sounds of the rain and the soft humming from the person in the middle of the clearing. Viktor couldn’t bring himself to interfere with the performance, even if the performer didn’t know that he was doing it, thinking that he was completely alone and undisturbed.

Finally, he stopped and looked up at the sky with a serene but melancholy expression, the rain falling on his face. After all of that, Viktor couldn’t contain himself anymore as he stepped closer with a gleam in his eyes and a smile on his lips.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were this good? I’m sure you have attended at least one of my lessons,” he said as the man in front of him was caught fully off-guard.

“Viktor?!” he said in a startled voice, “What are you doing here?!”

“Oh I just got lost, but enough about me - I want to hear about you!” he extended his arms as he began to walk closer to the now obviously panicking man.

“No no, I can’t! I need to go,” he tried turning around, stumbled on one of his feet and barely managed to catch himself as he slipped on the small puddle that had formed close to where he had been standing. “I’m really sorry, but I have to go. They’re waiting for me at the, uh… I just really have to go,” his words spilled out in a rush as he picked up something from the bench and proceeded to run off, disappearing along the greenery, words of apology and excuses still following him.

Viktor stood in place for a few moments, thinking over what had just happened, before Makkachin finally snapped him out from his stupor. The dog yapped and moved in the direction that the man had disappeared.

“I guess we might as well follow him. Maybe he’ll show us the way out?” Viktor said, feeling a bit taken aback in the whole ordeal that had happened. He hadn’t expected the other to react so skittishly.

He followed Makkachin, who had promptly managed to find a way out for them, though the only thing they had needed to do was go along the pathway. When they finally got back the servants inside showed concern in his health as he came back half drenched, but Viktor assured them that it was nothing. Some light summer rain wasn’t enough to put him out of commission.

The thing that had bothered him was the fact that the person he had seen seemed vaguely familiar and had known his name, but he hadn’t even caught theirs. Sure, a lot of people here knew him, but the man appeared to know him better than just from seeing him somewhere in town or hearing about him in the mansion.

* * *

 

The next day at the lesson Viktor tried to look for the now familiar face, but nobody came close to either the skills or the appearance of the man he had seen the day before. He didn’t see anyone like him at the mansion either, even when he had dedicated the whole day just walking around it and inspecting the people there. Since he didn’t know the name he couldn’t ask anyone and a lot of the servants had similar features, so describing him didn’t help too much either. By the end of the day he was beginning to think that maybe he had imagined the whole thing. How could anyone be this elusive?

The only hope he had left was the upcoming party. This one wouldn’t be a masquerade anymore and so he would be able to easily see everyone’s faces. Of course, he knew that the Dancer would still keep their mask, but perhaps the servant boy, or whoever he was, would appear there too.

The day for the ball came and Viktor picked out something that would easily discern him from all the other people there. He was sure that no one would wear something that had patterns from his native country and so he chose an outfit that had exactly that. It was fairly loose, giving him plenty of comfort in moving around and even if the white and red colouring wasn’t too flashy, he knew that he would effortlessly stand out among the other partygoers. He put on a slightly cropped vest top just to add a bit of an accent and headed out towards the main hall from where music could already be heard resounding throughout the corridors in the mansion.

There were just as many people as the last time, though now everyone was missing the masks. A lot of them crowded around Viktor again, saying how they missed seeing him around the marketplace or at the bars. He apologised, promising them that he would visit them soon and just like the last time, he was being guided towards the dancefloor before he could say much of anything else.

The atmosphere was just as lively as before, but something felt off. Viktor could see some people talking among themselves in hushed tones and a lot of them seemed to be searching for something, looking around from where they stood and turning back to talk with the others in their groups. Eventually, he overheard someone saying that the Dancer had yet to appear that evening. Others said that they were just late and it wasn’t the first time they would appear when the party was halfway through.

Viktor had tried to look for them as well, though that wasn’t very easy when people still came one after the other asking for a dance with him. He figured since the Dancer hadn’t yet appeared, he was the main interest in that field. He had also tried looking for the servant boy he had been searching for the past couple of days, but he was nowhere to be seen either.

As the evening drew into the night and the early hours of the morning, the confusion from the lack of the town’s main performer grew. People were now audibly discussing what might have happened to them as they had never missed a single event from the first time they had appeared. The dancefloor was also less lively and as the party stretched out Viktor didn’t even feel like dancing anymore. His tiredness caught up with him a lot more quickly than the last time and the disappointment he felt from not being able to see either of the people he had wanted to impress that night only added to that.

In the end, the Dancer didn’t show up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Concerning one of the scenes, here's [a small something](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmzkRjy5ymw) that probably like 2 people will understand. To everyone else - I'm sorry. Also next chapters should be longer as these two were more more or less introductory


	3. About a teacher and a learner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used in this chapter:  
> [When Yuuri is dancing alone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk2SiacBoxA) (if you don't know this game I highly recommend checking it out)  
> [During the party](https://soundcloud.com/elyonbeats/my-childish-farewells)

Viktor really didn’t feel like teaching the lesson the next day. He was still annoyed from the previous night and he had felt more exhausted because of it. Still, he had promised that he would do his best in conducting them and he didn’t plan on going down on his word just yet.

That said, it still didn’t mean that he would be enthusiastic about it.

One consolation was the fact that the people attending his lessons also seemed to be a bit out of the mood that afternoon. The servants were talking amongst themselves and guessing the reasons why the Dancer hadn’t shown up while the few nobles there were discussing something among themselves in hushed tones.

Viktor proceeded with the lesson as usual, though he was sure that his students had noticed that he wasn’t entirely into it. During the part where everyone was separated into pairs again he idly checked on everyone to fix their posture or limb placement. By that time he was beginning to remember most of the people that attended his lessons, though the only one he could recognize by name was the young noble that had invited him here in the first place. Phichit never missed a day, even if he was one of the best students he had there. The only difference Viktor had noted was that he had a different partner every time, whereas most of the others stuck with one or two of their friends.

Thinking that, Viktor slowly approached the group that the noble was in. He could hear that they were talking amongst themselves and not paying too much attention to what was going on around them.

“-you checked up on him?”

“Not yet today.”

“We should after the lesson.”

The petit girl looked the most worried, though a young noble with brightly coloured hair was a close second. They were all slightly hunched down in a semi-circle and so they didn’t notice when Viktor came up to them and just stood there listening in.

Finally, he spoke up, “And what exactly are you planning to do after my lesson?”

The group of four immediately turned their attention to him as they dispersed from their semi-circle.

“Mister Nikiforov, we’re so sorry,” the girl began to apologise.

“No need,” he waved it off. “To be honest, I was planning on letting you all go early anyway. But do tell, what’s gotten you all so concerned?” He would be lying if he had said that he wasn’t looking for something interesting that day to get his mind off the previous night. This seemed like it could be promising.

“Well, you see-” the girl began.

“Our friend is sick and we’re worried!” the smallest from the group chirped in.

“He was the one who was partnered with me on the first day, if you remember,” Phichit added.

Viktor paused for a moment, putting up his hand to his chin to try and remember about whom he was talking. “Oh,” he put up his index finger, “you mean the one who was absolutely horrible?”

“Yeah,” the tallest man answered. “Yuuri’s been sick for a few days now.”

At those words something finally clicked in Viktor’s mind. A friend that the noble had been dancing with, the nervous eyes he had seen when he had tried to teach him some basic moves, a darkly clad figure dancing alone in the summer rain and the same panicked face as it saw him.

“Yuuri!” he clapped his hands, startling the others.

“Right…” the man looked at him quizzically. “We were planning on visiting him after this was over.”

“Alright, I will join you then,” Viktor smiled at the four who had varying expressions of surprise on their faces. “What? I’m concerned about my student.”

“He’s not attending your lessons anymore, though…” the youngest boy mumbled.

“We’ll see about that,” Viktor just smiled wider and clapped his hands getting the attention of everyone in the room. “Today’s lesson will be cut short. I hope to see you all during the next one.”

The people looked surprised, but that quickly went away and soon the whole room was cleared out except for Viktor and the group of friends who looked lost for what to do.

“So? What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Viktor encouraged them as he stepped to the door. “You can at least show me where he lives.”

“If you could excuse us for a moment,” Phichit asked politely before turning around and ushering the other three closer. The four quickly exchanged a few hushed words and turned back as swiftly. “We’ll show you, but we won’t go with you inside.”

“And why so?”

“We… we just don’t want to overwhelm him, that’s all,” the girl responded. “He is sick.”

“I see no problem there then,” Viktor shrugged. “Let’s hurry then, I want to give my best regards to my ailing student.”

* * *

 

Yuuri had been tossing and turning in his bed for the better part of the past few days. He was sure that the fever would go away if he just waited, it wasn’t anything too serious, but it had gotten quite annoying to just go in and out of fitful sleep. His friends had come to visit him every day once they found out that he wasn’t feeling too well and he was grateful for at least having something to do when they came to talk and check up on him. That morning he had been feeling well enough to get out of bed by himself and at least open the curtains, though he had figured that the best option for him would be just staying in bed and avoiding too much movement.

He was back in one of his restless naps when he was suddenly startled back into wakefulness by his door slamming open. In a fit of shock he managed to hit his head against one of the bedposts and that certainly did not help with the already present pain. As he rubbed the back of his head a figure stepped into view. It blocked the rays of sun coming in through the window and for a moment appeared to be shrouded in a halo.

“Has God sent an angel to take me..?” Yuuri mumbled, still feeling completely out of it.

The person laughed and stepped closer to him, almost hovering over his bed, and their face came into Yuuri’s blurry view. “I might as well be,” Viktor said in an amused tone.

“Wait, wait,” Yuuri scrambled for his glasses before finally putting them on. “Wait…” He felt his jaw slightly drop when he realised that he wasn’t just dreaming or imagining things in his fever induced deliriousness. Viktor was leaning over his bed, staring him right in the eyes with a wide smile.

“Hello, Yuuri! How are you feeling?”

“I- what are you doing here?” Yuuri couldn’t help but stare at the excited face in front of him. This was certainly not what he had been expecting to see that day.

“I came to visit my favourite student,” Viktor said as he flopped down on the edge of the bed. “I missed seeing you.”

“But I… I don’t go to your lessons.” This confusion was only making his headache worse.

“Of course you do! Private lessons still count as lessons.”

“Private? Alright, stop. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Yuuri felt the need to halt wherever this conversation was going or else he knew he’d just get swept away by this man’s pace. He backed away to the side of his bed until his back hit the wall so that he could get at least some space.

“You didn’t think I’d let you go after seeing what you could do, right?” Viktor looked genuinely surprised. “Though I must admit that overexerting yourself in the rain can have some negative consequences, such as getting a fever.”

Yuuri felt the heat in his face as the memory of Viktor catching him practising alone came back to him. He pulled his covers over his face to hide his embarrassment. He had been trying his best to forget that ever happening. How did he even find him then? No one ever came to that place, it was as good as his personal haven. He mumbled a response, but it was obscured by the blanket.

“Hmm?” Viktor hummed as he moved closer, placing his hands down on the bed at Yuuri’s sides and his face only inches apart from Yuuri’s.

“I said,” Yuuri pulled the blanket in-between their faces, “I have no intentions of going back to your lessons.” He could see the top of Viktor’s head poking out above the blanket before he cocked it to the side to look at Yuuri’s face again.

“But what about one on one lessons? I figured you didn’t like doing it in front of other people, but there’s no way I’m letting you just keep your talents to yourself – that’s just rude.”

Yuuri felt himself slowly losing the battle and he certainly did not have enough strength to argue with Viktor at the moment. He sighed in defeat, “What about payment? I’m sure private lessons aren’t free and if you haven’t already noticed – I’m not exactly swimming in riches here,” he gestured to his room before slowly realising that he hadn’t cleaned it up at all since he had gotten sick. The place was a mess with various materials strewn all over the place. He felt an extreme urge to hide underneath the covers once more.

“Let’s see,” Viktor stood up from the bed and bent down to pick up a few of the sparkling fabrics closest to him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t have the energy to clean up,” Yuuri apologised.

“You’ll have to do it later then,” Viktor said nonchalantly as he shifted through more pieces of clothing. “Why do you have this much materials anyway? Are you the responsible for sewing everyone’s clothes?”

“No, I just like making costumes from time to time,” Yuuri answered as he kept watching Viktor go through his room. “I’m friends with a few of the nobles and they let me take any leftover materials. In return I sometimes make an outfit for them to go to the parties.”

“What about yourself?”

“I don’t like going to them, I thought it was obvious.” Yuuri couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“We could make this work,” Viktor murmured to himself as he began rummaging through a pile of completed costumes. “But would it be enough?”

“I don’t have anything else,” Yuuri tried to answer, but the other wasn’t paying him attention anymore as it seemed that he had found something interesting in the pile that he was looking through.

“What’s this?” Viktor asked as he finally pulled out a dark outfit with a few sparkling crystals from the very bottom of the heap and turned to show it to Yuuri.

“Oh, it’s something I made for a friend. They just returned it to me after the ball.”

Viktor gave him a doubtful look. “You made this for your friend?”

“Yes..?”

“Your friend, who happens to have worn the exact same thing as the Dancer had?” Yuuri just nodded his head. “So you’re telling me that you actually know who the Dancer is?” Viktor couldn’t hold his composure anymore as he practically jumped back on Yuuri’s bed while still holding the dark outfit in his hands.

“If you’re expecting me to tell you who they are as payment then you’re hoping for too much,” Yuuri said in as stern voice as he could muster at that moment. “I have promised to never reveal them to anyone.”

“No no, I’m sure you won’t tell me,” Viktor waved him off. “I had something else in mind.”

“What then?”

“I want you,” Viktor pointed his index finger right at Yuuri’s face, almost touching his nose and making the other man cross his eyes to look at it, “to make my outfits for the following parties that will be held while I’m staying in this town. In addition,” he moved his finger down to Yuuri’s lips to silence him from any protests that he might have, “I want those outfits to be coordinated with the ones that the Dancer will have. In return I will make you the best performer in this town, of course excluding me and the Dancer.”

Yuuri stared at Viktor for a few moments. In all honesty, what the other was proposing didn’t sound too bad. He was already used to making costumes for his friends, so that wouldn’t be too hard. Caught in that moment he thought that perhaps Viktor could actually manage to help him. He didn’t really have much to lose in agreeing to this, right?

“Alright,” he said in a soft voice, feeling the finger still pressing to his lips.

“Excellent!” Viktor gave him a wide smile that crinkled the skin on the sides of his eyes. “I’ll come visit you until you get better. Then we’ll talk about the lessons.”

Yuuri nodded and watched as Viktor waved goodbye before heading out. He really hoped he hadn’t made a mistake.

* * *

 

As promised, Viktor did come the next day, only this time he came with a friend. A big fluffy friend that bounced up and down on his bed and licked his face while Yuuri laughed and tried to keep him away. Viktor said that his name was Makkachin and Yuuri was grateful to have such a friendly dog to brighten up his day. The two of them stayed in his room for a while, Viktor talking how it would probably be easier for him to loosen up with just one person around and then later maybe even in a group. Yuuri listened to him quietly, petting Makkachin and trying to figure out the person in front of him. Yuko had visited him after her daily duties the day before and she had explained how Viktor had suddenly shown interest in him and how they all thought that maybe the eccentric stranger might be a positive influence to him.

He knew that his friends had good intentions. He knew that they had seen the way he had stared at their teacher on the very first and only lesson he had gone to, and he knew that they wanted to give him an opportunity to get closer to Viktor. He wasn’t angry that they had shown him where he lived. Hell, the man probably would have figured that out sooner or later anyway after he had stumbled upon him in the garden. It was only a matter of time.

Viktor was talking how easy it was for him to get to his place and how he had managed not to get lost. He was happy that his quarters were not too far away from where most of the servants lived and had their own private rooms. Yuuri knew that he had lost any chance in running away now even if he had wanted to.

It took a few more days for Yuuri to get completely back on his feet and Viktor had instructed him to come to the room where the dancing lessons were held right after the end of that day’s lesson. Yuuri waited anxiously at the door, hearing the music that was being played on the other side of the wall. There were probably only a few more minutes left until everyone was let out and it would only leave him and Viktor.

He heard the music halt and the shuffle of feet. This was it. Soon, the door opened and people began walking out of the room. Yuuri glanced at them from where he was standing against the wall. His friends were one of the last few to leave; Phichit gave him a reassuring smile and Takeshi a thumbs up as they passed him wishing him good luck. None of the other people seemed to know why he was there. That was good, he didn’t want others finding out that he was the only one getting special treatment from Viktor.

Said man was standing in the middle of the room as Yuuri timidly entered it and closed the door behind him. A gramophone was sitting on a desk, but besides that the room was empty. It looked a lot bigger when there were barely any people in it.

“So are you ready, Yuuri?” Viktor gestured for him to come closer.

“Uh, maybe?”

“We’ll definitely need to work on enthusiasm,” Viktor sighed and walked to the mirrors with Yuuri in tow.

There were handles placed alongside them to stretch and Viktor had Yuuri show his flexibility on them. Just stretching was relatively easy and Viktor commented how his body seemed used to it. The hard part came when the music was put on and Viktor asked him to dance to it however he seemed fit. Yuuri tried to imagine that he was completely alone, which wasn’t too hard in the echoey room, and just listen to the flowing music of the piano. He closed his eyes for good measure and began moving, stepping in time with the rhythm and trying to move his arms in a fluid motion to the tune. Most thoughts had left his mind and only the sound of the music remained. The song wasn’t long and Yuuri had improvised everything as he went. As the last notes played he settled into a final stance and slowly opened his eyes.

He had managed to stop in a way so that he was standing in front of Viktor, who was a few meters away. The man looked concentrated but after a few moments that expression dropped and he was walking to Yuuri.

“A few odd angles here and there, but seeing as you improvised everything - that was quite impressive,” he complimented. “But let me guess – you imagined that I wasn’t there?” he gave a wry smile.

“Yeah,” Yuuri agreed. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to do half of that.”

“And that’s exactly what we’ll have to work on. Now come, I want to see how well you fare in partner dancing.” Viktor extended his arms. Yuuri hesitated a bit before stepping in closer.

This time there was no music and Viktor only counted the rhythm as he moved. Yuuri tried to follow as best he could, but it was apparent that he wasn’t doing too well. After he had stepped on Viktor’s foot for the eight time the other man stopped and sighed.

“You’re too stiff,” he said as he moved behind Yuuri, putting one of his hands on his waist and the other holding up Yuuri’s left arm. “You just stretched and already your muscles are so tense.” He traced the hand from the waist down towards Yuuri’s right leg, lifting it up as the smaller man tried to keep his balance and ignore the unusual feeling of another person’s hands moving so freely over his body. Viktor kept saying something, but most of that went to white noise as Yuuri’s main concern was just to stay as still as possible. He felt his body beginning to shake as his leg was lifted higher and higher.

“Are you even listening to me?” he finally heard clearly as the hands let go of him and his body slumped.

“Maybe not the last part?” he turned around and smiled sheepishly.

Viktor raised an eyebrow at him. This was going to be a long lesson.

* * *

 

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Viktor decided that it was enough for the first day. Yuuri could feel his whole body relax at those words. Even if he was used to physical work and countless hours of dancing alone, this had been a lot more exhausting.

“I think by the end there was a slight improvement, but not nearly enough,” Viktor said as he turned off the music. “You’ll definitely need to come the next day.”

“Alright,” Yuuri agreed while putting his glasses back on, “and… thank you,” he mumbled.

“For what?”

“I guess for believing that I can do better?” he wasn’t entirely sure where he had been going with this.

“Then as a favour show me around the place. I still haven’t seen everything here and as a servant I’m sure you know the more interesting sights,” Viktor flashed him a smile.

Hadn’t he already had enough time to learn this place in and out? Yuuri looked at him a bit unsure, but after a few moments he shrugged his shoulders. “I still have some free time since I just got better, so alright.”

“Great, then I’ll just get Makkachin and we can go,” Viktor said as he stepped through the door, heading towards where he lived.

“Is he allowed to go around freely like that?”

“No one complained about that, so I take it as a yes.”

“Right…” Yuuri just followed the other man as they walked through the long corridors. He had never been to Viktor’s place, though the other had come to his room numerous times already.

Viktor’s room wasn’t too far away from the servants’ quarters, just as he had told Yuuri, but it was definitely bigger than his own place. Makkachin was sprawled on the huge bed in the middle of the room, but as he saw the two of them enter he immediately jumped off and came to greet them.

“We’re going for a walk!” Viktor exclaimed and the dog began jumping around him happily. Yuuri watched the whole exchange fondly before turning around to start heading somewhere ‘interesting’ as Viktor had put it.

As it turned out, Viktor had mostly seen everything on the first several floors, but he hadn’t been to the top ones. Yuuri explained as they walked that most of the members from the aristocratic families lived higher up. Most servants stayed lower, except for personal maids, butlers and those who took care of cleaning there. Yuuri wasn’t any of above, but he did have a few friends amongst the nobles, in fact they were the ones who had offered him to work there, so he had been to the top floors a number of times. He showed Viktor the few common rooms where people would read or have tea, telling him that he was also allowed to do that if he wanted to. He didn’t go into any of the private ones as he still would have preferred to keep his job there, thank you very much.

Along the way they met a few people, but they only gushed about Makkachin and didn’t say anything about him not being allowed there. Yuuri knew that a few nobles had some pets, though he hadn’t seen a lot of them inside the mansion. Just as he was thinking that, from the corner of his eye he saw small movement around the corner at the end of the corridor. It seemed that he wasn’t the only one who had seen something as Makkachin perked up and began barking as he took off in that direction.

“Makkachin!” Viktor called out, but the dog showed no interest in stopping as he rounded the corner.

“We should go after him,” Yuuri said as he began running. “There might be other dogs or cats here.”

Viktor followed suit and just as they got to the end of the corridor a loud crash resounded through it, followed by a yelp and some more barking. The two of them skidded to a stop and saw an open door and a maid trying to balance out what was left on the tray in her hand. This corridor ended with a dead-end and Makkachin was nowhere in sight. Yuuri felt a pang of panic as he heard a splash and loud cursing coming from the room with the open door. Not long after, Makkachin emerged through it, now with visibly wet fur and the cursing getting louder.

“I think we need to go,” Yuuri said as Makkachin ran back to them just as an angry older noble came into view from the room that was apparently meant for bathing.

“I think you’re right,” Viktor agreed and the trio went sprinting down the path they had come from.

As Yuuri was running and making quick turns, hoping that Viktor was following him, he finally realised the absurdity of the situation. The thought of Makkachin running into a noble’s bath time while chasing some other pet and turning the whole place upside down made him crack a smile as he made his way down the flight of stairs. The smile soon turned into giggles and before long he was laughing as he felt the wooden floor underneath him change into pavement and the halls changing into hedges. He heard Viktor laughing somewhere behind him and even Makkachin joined in with his woofing.

They finally slowed down when Yuuri reached his intended destination – the clearing where he spent most of his alone time. He sat down on one of the benches while trying to catch his breath and Viktor joined in as he flopped beside him while Makkachin went on trying to catch some bugs.

“God, did you see his face?” Yuuri asked as he felt the laughter bubbling up inside him again. “He looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel.”

“I’m not entirely sure that he didn’t,” Viktor said in between gulps of air.

“I feel sorry for the maid, though. She’ll probably get the backlash from all of this,” Yuuri sighed, even if he couldn’t still kill the smile that had made its way on his face.

“I’ll give her a private lesson as an apology then.”

“I thought I was the only exception,” Yuuri laughed.

“You are,” Viktor said as he draped one of his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders and leaned in closer to his ear. “We’ll have to think of something else then,” he whispered.

Yuuri froze up for a moment before just letting himself relax. His muscles already had enough tension from that day to last him the whole month.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad.

* * *

 

After that Viktor and Yuuri continued with the lessons with Yuuri coming each time after the main ones had ended. He had found that having only one person wasn’t as straining as he had feared at first. He had to admit – Viktor was a good teacher, if a bit lacking in the department of personal space.

Somehow Viktor had found out when Yuuri would have free time and had managed to find him anywhere in the mansion. This would have been a bit disconcerting, but Yuuri had grown so used to seeing the man all the time that after some time it just started to feel like a completely normal thing. Mostly Viktor would follow him whenever he made the trips to the marketplace. Sometimes he ran on errands and others he would just look for some things for himself. Viktor was more than happy to tag along and chat up with the townspeople while Yuuri picked the things he needed. A few times he had also been dragged to show around the town itself and all of those times resulted in sitting at a bar with Viktor getting progressively more drunk and less clothed. The hard part would come after that when Yuuri would need to get his tipsy or drunk teacher to come back to the mansion with him. At least their rooms weren’t too far apart.

When news of an upcoming ball started circulating, Viktor began questioning Yuuri about his outfit. They had taken measurements as soon as Yuuri had gotten over his fever and he had begun working on it relatively early. Yuuri had to explain that he liked to keep all of his works secret until the main event and so Viktor would be no exception. That had seemed to deflate the man a bit, but he perked up again fairly quickly.

Viktor had tried pestering Yuuri into making an appearance at the party himself, but the other had strictly declined. He promised that his outfit would be coordinated with the Dancer’s, but other than that he had no other obligations. Viktor had finally backed down when he had realised that this was one of the few rare occasions where Yuuri couldn’t be coerced into something.

The day for the ball came and as promised Yuuri had presented him with an outfit of his making. Viktor had tried it out as soon as the other man had brought it to his room and as he put it on Yuuri explained how he had decided to go with a floral theme this time. Viktor’s main motif were roses as the crimson patterns swirled around on the semi-transparent black fabric. Yuuri had even made him gloves to go with the entire ensemble and seemed proud as he watched Viktor inspect all the small details on his clothing. However he soon said his goodbyes and headed out, leaving Viktor with only his outfit as a reminder that he had been there.

Viktor made a point in his mind to get Yuuri to come to at least one party during his stay in this town.

When he entered the dance hall he was greeted by a mass of cheerful people. It wasn’t long before he found out the reason behind that – the Dancer had appeared this time, and quite early in the party to boost. He saw them on the dancefloor, intertwined with a woman clad in green. The two of them had been a bit more to the side, so Viktor didn’t need to squeeze through a sea of people just to catch a glimpse of them.

Just as Yuuri had promised – the Dancer had a matching outfit to his own. Theirs was one of lilies, the simple white basis adorned by detailed petals and hues of green. This time the outfit had appeared to be more on the masculine side, allusive to a tuxedo, though with wider sleeves and a translucent cravat. It still fell elegantly on them no matter how you looked. As the rumour had said, they still had their chequered mask on, even if this party hadn’t been a masquerade. 

As soon as the song ended and the two separated Viktor stepped in with a small bow. The Dancer gave him an amused smile and mimicked the gesture. From up close Viktor could see that they even had small decorative lilies woven into their dark hair. It seemed that they had really put in some effort for that day’s party.

The whole room quieted down as a soft piano sound started. The few simple notes caught everyone’s attention, telling them that this song would be a slow one. The guests that weren’t dancing ceased their talking to let everyone enjoy the more peaceful music and Viktor was sure that he could hear the soothing patter of rain coming from outside. He extended his hand and the Dancer gladly took it. The song soon turned into a waltz and the two of them stepped easily in the rhythm.

Viktor couldn’t describe how glad he was that the Dancer had appeared that day. He wanted to ask them why they hadn’t shown up the last time, but he knew that he wouldn’t get an answer. For that time, he just enjoyed the slow tempo of the simple song and the accompanying sounds of the summer rain. The colours of their costumes complimented each other nicely and he knew that he’d need to thank Yuuri greatly once everything was over. He tried looking at the slightly covered eyes of the person in front of him and he saw that they were looking straight back at him with a glint of fondness in them. The slight curve of the Dancer’s lips was warm and welcoming and Viktor felt as if he was looking at a completely different person from the last time. The passionate confidence had turned into a more reserved one, though none the less still strong and apparent. This person knew exactly what they were doing and they enjoyed every moment of it.

After every single spin Viktor caught himself looking at those eyes again and at the back of his mind he felt that he might have already seen them somewhere else, though he was sure he hadn’t looked that intensely at anyone in this town yet. This person sure knew how to keep his gaze only on them.

The song ended too soon and this time Viktor wasn’t yet exhausted by anything. The party had just started and the whole night was left for them to enjoy. Their hands lingered on each other for a few more moments and the Dancer suddenly took Viktor’s and began heading towards the stairs to the upper part of the hall.

“Oh, do you want to show me something?” Viktor asked playfully. “Or maybe take me where there are less people around?”

He heard a muffled laugh from the other person as they led him up the stairs. Their hand was slightly rough, but it still felt very nice holding onto it. Viktor followed them obediently until they reached wide glass doors. The Dancer let go of his hand to open them and Viktor had to hold himself back not to take it again as they walked into a broad balcony.

It seemed that the rain had already stopped and all that was left was the slightly wet ground and the pleasant smell of petrichor lingering in the air. The view from the balcony extended through the vast gardens of the mansion and Viktor could see some guests walking around it down below.  He leaned on the intricate railings to get a better look at it, though it was already getting dark enough for the lanterns to be lit. They didn’t illuminate a lot, but from what he could see that was enough for a comfortable atmosphere to be created.

“This is quite beautiful,” he admitted before turning to look at the Dancer, who had been leaning slightly against the railings too, though their back was to the garden and they were looking at Viktor. “Though not as eye catching as you.”

The other person wiggled their index finger as they began drawing a slow snaking pattern in the air, only inches away from Viktor’s body. He followed the movement intently with his eyes as their hand got lower before suddenly being lifted right to his face, the finger lightly touching his nose. He blinked a few times before looking back at the Dancer, who now had a playful smile of their own. They moved their hand slightly and took hold of a few strands of his hair in-between their fingers.

“I’ve noticed that no one else here has hair similar to mine,” Viktor commented as he gently moved his head to the side. “Must be really easy to recognise me.” The Dancer nodded. “Not like you, though. You easily blend in.”

The other shrugged at that and locked their eyes with Viktor’s again. In the dark of the night they seemed black just like their hair.

“You know that I’ll try looking for you outside of these parties, right?” Viktor said more seriously.

The other only nodded again, but a hint of a smile played on their lips at his words.

Viktor wasn’t sure how much time passed with the two of them in the balcony, enjoying the fresh air and each other’s company. Even if he was the only one to talk, he still felt engaged in what he was doing. He told the Dancer a bit about where he had come from and where he had already been, though he left out where he was planning on heading to next; he wanted to live in the moment for now. The other listened to everything he had to say, but they only talked to him in their body language. Viktor found out that even half of the face could say a lot and the hands could easily replace the mouth in forming words of their own. Every single touch they exchanged told him everything he needed to know.

As the air got colder and the light coming from the lanterns brighter, Viktor felt that he didn’t have a lot of time left. The other person had their hand resting on his and he was telling them about what kind of people he had met while being in this town when a red haired woman appeared from the inside, taking a few tentative steps through the open glass doors. Viktor stopped talking and flashed her a smile. Seeing that she smiled back and got closer to them.

“I was wondering where the two of you had disappeared to,” she said. “The guests inside had begun worrying that this time two of our best entertainers had gone missing.”

“We’re sorry about that,” Viktor answered her. “The time just flew by without a notice.”

“I can see that,” she laughed before a small look of pleading appeared in her eyes, “but would it be too rude of me to ask you to come back? The mood has gone down without the two of you.”

Viktor threw a quick glance at the Dancer. Their face was illuminated by the light coming from the inside, but he could only see half of it as they had turned to look at the woman. They stood up from where they had been sitting on the edge of the railing and looked back at Viktor. He sighed and nodded.

“I guess we do have a role to play after all. Alright, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Thank you,” the woman said with a hint of relief in her voice. “We’ll be waiting inside then.”

“See you on the dancefloor.” Viktor waved at her before she disappeared through the doors.

Even if the Dancer had stood up, their hand still lingered on his, the tips of their fingers lightly touching the bare hand. At some point Viktor had taken off the gloves that Yuuri had given him, if only so that he could feel a bit more skinship with the person beside him.

“I’ll be right behind you,” he said and the Dancer finally took off their hand before winking at him and heading out of the balcony.

Viktor stayed on the railing for a few more moments alone before finally standing up and beginning to walk towards the music filled hall as he took out the gloves from his pockets and put them on again.

This night had been quite enjoyable.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got art from two of my best bros （〃・ω・〃）  
> [Here](http://yotrashkid.tumblr.com/post/153440255696/based-on-a-very-bien-au-fic-called-masks-off)  
> [and here](http://yaboybokuto.tumblr.com/post/153699278343/chapter-3-outfits-from-masks-off-by)


	4. About a seeker and a hider

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the wonderful comments, they're the reason behind my motivation (　＾∇＾)  
> Song reference:  
> [During the party](https://soundcloud.com/tico1978/al-di-meola-paco-de-lucia)

Viktor could barely wait for Yuuri to come to their dance lesson the next day. He felt giddy and wanted to tell the other all about the previous night and how wonderful it was, not to mention he needed to thank him for both his and the Dancer’s coordinated outfits. He had to really try not to rush that day’s main lesson, but in the end he still let it out a bit earlier.

Standing in the middle of the room he waited for Yuuri to come in through the door and ask about his day. The time ticked by and at first Viktor let it slide as Yuuri just being extremely punctual and coming when he was supposed to. After that time passed he started getting impatient. Eventually, Viktor just decided to check on his student himself as he quickly passed through the corridors towards the servants’ quarters. He barged inside Yuuri’s room without even a knock and saw the bundle of blankets on the bed shift from startle.

“Yuuri, are you sick again?” he asked.

“Huh, Viktor?” a voice came from the bed, but it seemed that the man had managed to entangle himself a bit too much and so he was having difficulty getting out now. Finally, Yuuri’s head popped up and he looked at Viktor with bleary eyes. “What time is it?”

“Time for our lesson,” Viktor answered, feeling more amused than anything else.

He watched as Yuuri’s eyes got wider and he began scrambling on his bedside table for his glasses as he simultaneously tried to get out of his bed.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologised, “I was feeling sleepy and thought I could take a short nap until it, but I guess I was more tired than I first imagined.” He managed to get out from the trap he had made himself and stood before Viktor with messy hair, crooked glasses and dishevelled clothing.  

“What can you do, the music probably kept you up,” Viktor said as he stepped closer and guided the still slightly confused Yuuri back to his bed. He sat him down on it and took a spot next to him.

“Right, it did seem that this party ended a lot later than usual,” Yuuri sighed and scooted closer to the wall so that he could lean against it. Viktor followed suit.

“I can’t complain. It was one of the best I had ever been to.”

“So I figure everything went well with you and the Dancer?” Yuuri turned slightly towards Viktor, their arms brushing slightly.

“Everything went more than well,” Viktor gave him a bright smile. “Your costumes were amazing and it didn’t seem like they were avoiding me this time. It’s only a shame we get to meet so rarely,” his demeanour dropped a bit and Yuuri gave a small laugh.

“They wouldn’t be a mystery if they just pranced around town every day.”

“And who says they don’t?” Viktor looked genuinely interested. “They still have a life outside the parties.”

“You’re right,” Yuuri slumped his shoulders as he leaned more into the wall and slid down his bed.

“You should know that better than me – you know them personally,” Viktor gave him a playful nudge on the arm. “What I would give to see them outside of the parties.”

Yuuri watched from the corner of his eye as Viktor got a dreamy look in his own. The sun coming in through the window danced on his lashes and fair hair. It was really something unusual amongst the dark hair that most of the town had, including Yuuri himself. He decided to let himself look at the other man for a bit longer as the seconds ticked by with neither of them speaking.

The silence didn’t last long as Viktor suddenly turned to look right at Yuuri, who was caught staring directly into those blue eyes.

“You could do that!” he said excitedly.

“Me..?” Yuuri blinked a few times, though he still hadn’t averted his gaze.

“You could get me to meet them outside of a party!” Viktor smiled brightly before gently brushing his fingers over Yuuri’s cheek. “You do know them personally, right?” his voice took a lower tone as his smile shifted into a more intimate one.

Yuuri had to remind himself that if he retracted too quickly he would only hit his head against the wall. He got stuck between his mind telling him to do that and his body wanting to lean into the touch. What he ended up doing was just going completely stiff.

Viktor laughed lightly and patted him on the cheek. “You don’t need to be that afraid.”

Yuuri finally snapped out of his daze and quickly turned to look the other way. “I’m not sure if I can do that,” he said quietly.

“Oh come on,” Viktor whined as he wrapped his arms around the other and began to rock back and forth. “At least ask them if it’s possible.”

“Fine, fine,” Yuuri sputtered, though he didn’t fight against the other man’s affections this time. “I’ll talk to them when I get the chance, but I can’t promise you anything.”

“Thank you,” Viktor cooed and ruffled his hair. “You’re really amazing.”

Yuuri smiled weakly at that and leaned a bit more into the other as he began retelling everything that had happened at the party last night. Viktor’s voice was soothing and he seemed genuinely excited about his story. It was comfortable to just relax and listen to him talk.

Viktor went on for a bit before he noticed that Yuuri had stopped humming in response to what he was saying. He stopped talking to see what the other was doing and saw that he had nodded off again, leaning against his arm with his glasses off on the side of his nose. He smiled fondly and gently patted him on the head before carefully getting out of the bed. He took his glasses off and put the pillow underneath his head. Yuuri looked too peaceful to be disturbed and so Viktor decided to give him a day off. They could just make the next lesson longer.

* * *

 

After that Viktor pestered Yuuri every chance he got about the offer he had proposed and every time Yuuri would say that either he was too busy or that the Dancer was. This went on for days with Viktor’s mood dropping every time he heard a negative answer from the other man and Yuuri sheepishly apologizing before scurrying off somewhere.

After about a week of that Viktor was waiting silently in the mirror room for another one of his lessons. It was supposed to begin in about half an hour, but he had decided he wanted to come there earlier and just stay alone for a while in the empty room. That wish was soon disrupted though, as the doors creaked open and a blond head with a red streak poked inside.

“Can I come in?” Viktor recognised the boy as one of the nobles who would occasionally attend his lessons. He had also been on the group that had known Yuuri.

“Sure,” he shifted his demeanour to appear more welcoming.

The boy grinned and nearly skipped to where Viktor had been standing by one of the windows. “So I’ve been wanting to ask you something,” he said as he sat down crossed legged on the floor. “What’s your relationship with the Dancer?”

Viktor blinked a few times, slightly taken aback by the enthusiastic kid. “Why are you so interested?” he asked.

“I’ve been a huge fan for quite a while now and I know everything about them,” the boy beamed before quickly dropping his smile and pouting a little. “Well, except for their actual identity.”

“Oh, so what can you tell me about them?”

The noble perked up again and puffed out his chest, “They appeared five years and seven months ago, though there are some speculations that they were first seen at a masquerade a month prior to that. They wear a different outfit every time which range from masculine to feminine, but usually they come with something androgynous. At first they had a lot of different hairstyles and colours, most likely wigs, but lately they’ve been sticking to the short black hair. Aaaand-“ he drawled out while looking straight at Viktor, “You’ve been the first person that they have spent time outside of the dancefloor, so I’m interested in what you have to say about that.”

“I guess I’ve been caught,” Viktor gave a small laugh. “Honestly, I’m not sure myself, but I do want to get to know them better.”

“So you’re just telling me that you caught their attention just like you did with half of the town?” the boy cocked his head and gave him a questioning look. “Have you even heard them speak?”

“No, I was the one doing all the talking.”

The young noble hummed in thought as he swayed from one side to the other. He then stopped and stood up. “I hope that you won’t steal them away, but if that happens then could you at least tell me if they’re a good person underneath the mask?”

He looked genuine in his words and Viktor couldn’t find it in himself to give him a negative answer. “Alright, I’ll tell you that if I find out myself.”

“Thank you,” the boy beamed again. Just at those words the doors creaked again and a few more people entered. “I’m glad I got to talk to you before the lesson, even if you didn’t tell me much.” He then spun around and headed towards the doors, from where now a lot more people were gathering.

Viktor couldn’t help but smile as he looked at the boy. It was nice to see that the Dancer was not only admired and sought after, but also loved by the people in this town.

When Yuuri came in for his lesson after the main one, Viktor didn’t ask him about the Dancer like he had done every single day. He saw the slight look of confusion as he put on the music and began with his teaching.

Yuuri had been getting considerably better. His movements now seemed a lot less constricted and he had even managed to finish a song in pair dancing without messing up too badly. Viktor had told him how proud he was at that and he hadn’t been lying one bit. It now felt that Yuuri’s achievements were his own and he was happy to have found someone like him in this town. He had tended to avoid getting too close to other people during his previous travels, only enjoying their temporary company before moving on. He hadn’t expected to get so close to someone, but he wasn’t regretting it at all.

Once the lesson ended Yuuri lingered a bit, shifting from one foot to another. He seemed to be waiting for something, but Viktor wasn’t sure for what, so he only gave him a curious glance. He finally took a deep breath and fiddled in his pocket before taking out a strip of red material.

“I talked with them and they agreed,” he said as he began playing with the fabric in his hands.

“They did?!” Viktor nearly shouted and Yuuri jumped from the sound reverberating across the room.

“They did, but with a few conditions,” he continued after calming himself down and fixing his now serious gaze on Viktor. “You can meet at the garden where we’ve gone a few times since there are usually no people around. You will have to wear this, though,” he extended his hand with the red strip. Viktor took it and checked if there was anything special about it, but it was just an ordinary piece of material. “You’ll have to wear it over your eyes,” Yuuri explained seeing his confused look.

“They really are secretive, huh?” Viktor smiled softly as he brushed his fingers gently over the strip.

“I did the best I could,” Yuuri said. “They will meet you in an hour. I can show you the way if you don’t remember it exactly.”

“Thank you so much!” Viktor hugged Yuuri as tightly as he could. The other made a squeaking sound, but quickly relaxed in his arms.

Yuuri had to leave after that, saying that he’d meet Viktor by the entrance to the gardens in an hour. Viktor spent that time pacing in his room and telling Makkachin how he actually had no clue what he even planned on doing. The fact that he’d have to wear a blindfold limited his options greatly, but he wasn’t angry at the person for being so secretive. They’d probably be wearing something casual, so he might recognise them without the flair of their outfits.

Yuuri met him right where promised and proceeded to lead him back to the secluded place where they’d sometimes go together. Once they got there he gave Viktor a nod.

“I’ll leave you here then, the Dancer should come soon since they know this place. I hope you won’t do anything weird.”

“Who, me?” Viktor joked and saw a small twitch of Yuuri’s lips. “We’ll be fine and I’ll tell you everything after it.”

“Alright, then good luck,” Yuuri said as he began walking back the way they had come.

Viktor put on the blindfold and waited for a few minutes in anxious silence. Soon, he heard the sound of soft footsteps and he couldn’t help but smile widely as he felt his hand being taken. The Dancer drew a question mark on his palm.

“Hello to you too,” Viktor said as he tried to imagine the person before him. “I know this might be unusual, especially since you don’t tend to show yourself like this, but actually all I wanted was to spend a bit more time with you.” He felt a gentle touch on his cheek as the Dancer cupped it and drew their thumb across it a few times. It was nice knowing that this wasn’t one-sided. “Could I ask for a dance?” he tried and heard a muffled noise that sounded like laughter. He smiled and extended his hand for the other to take.

It seemed that the Dancer wasn’t opposed to that idea as they took his hand and wrapped their other one around him. Viktor began humming a random tune that came to his head as they started to slow dance. The other person took the lead as they were the one that could actually see what they were doing and Viktor liked the idea of just following along. He was a lot more aware of the pressure on his body where the other’s hands resided and felt every brush of their bodies that they made while moving. The warmth from their skin was very comfortable and Viktor tried to memorize everything he felt at that moment. From one point this was a lot more intimate than anything that they had done before.

Viktor continued to hum a few more songs that had come to him. He didn’t really talk much, so the two of them spent their time without words. Viktor didn’t know how much of it passed, but he stopped after he had finished one more song. At one point his hands had gone to the Dancer’s waist and now he traced them up their body. He felt the soft material of what they were wearing, most likely something simple and close-fitting. The other didn’t stop him as his hands travelled up to their face and Viktor was hoping that perhaps this time there would be no mask to cover it. Perhaps this time he could feel more than just the bottom of it, but his wishes were quickly crushed as his fingers stumbled upon the same obstacle that was always there. He pursed his lips and tapped it lightly a few times.

“Is this really necessary?” he asked before placing both of his hands on its sides. The Dancer nodded and he felt the small shift of the mask as he held it in place. It wasn’t like he’d be able to recognise the person, whoever they were, just from touching their face.

“But what if…” he trailed off and gripped the mask tighter. He felt the Dancer tense up and they put their hand on his as if saying that he should stop. One part of Viktor wanted to listen, but another, the one that was stronger this time, told him that all he needed to do was tug the mask off. Unfortunately, he listened to it and began to lift the bothersome accessory, but before he could fully remove it the other person quickly let go of his hand and stepped back. He heard the small sound of a band snapping and felt the mask in his hands.

“Wait, I didn’t mean to-“ he began to say, but heard - or rather felt - no response. He stood there in silence for a few more moments, hoping that the other would walk back to him and he could return the mask, but nothing happened. Finally, after at least a few minutes of just standing there without any movement, he decided to slowly take off the red blindfold.

He was completely alone with only a red strip in one hand and the chequered mask in the other.

* * *

 

After somehow managing to get back Viktor felt guilty and wanted to find Yuuri, if only so that he could apologise to him instead of the Dancer. He stumbled upon the man in the middle of one of the hallways, carrying a basket of dry laundry. Since he was a bit further down it, Viktor jogged to him with a worried expression plastered on his face. Yuuri gave him a raised eyebrow and waited until he ran up to him.

“I made a mistake,” was the first thing that came out of Viktor’s mouth.

“What happened?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor looked at him apologetically and shook his head. He then extended the hand in which he had been holding the mask. The broken band dangled from his fingers and somehow the mask appeared cold to the touch, but he knew that it was only his imagination.

Yuuri looked at the accessory for a few moments before lifting his head back up and giving Viktor a stern look. “Looks like you did.”

“I know and I wanted to say sorry, if only to you,” Viktor couldn’t look at his eyes at the moment. “It was stupid of me and I wanted to give it back.”

He heard Yuuri sigh. “Alright,” the other said, “I’ll give it back. I don’t think it’s too bad, especially if you feel sorry for it.” Viktor finally looked up at him with a smile forming back on his face. Yuuri still had a serious expression as he continued talking, “I don’t know what happened and I don’t know what you were thinking, but next time you should ask and listen before doing something along these lines.”

Viktor nodded furiously at that and Yuuri’s lips finally formed into a smile. “Come on,” he put the mask on top of the laundry basket. “I’ll finish up with these and we can go into town.”

“Yuuri…” The only way Viktor knew how to show his gratitude was by a hug and that was exactly what he did. He buried his face into the other’s neck and wrapped his hands tightly around his back. Yuuri didn’t say anything as he patted his head with one hand.

They went to one of the bars that Viktor liked and as a thank you he ordered Yuuri whatever he wanted. Yuuri spoke more this time, most likely trying to keep his mind off what had happened. Viktor appreciated that, it was nice to just relax like this around someone. He didn’t remember much after he had begun drinking more, but one thought stuck to him as he had started getting affectionate and Yuuri went along with it, letting him drape over himself and holding his hand so that he wouldn’t lose his balance.

Yuuri’s hands were so familiar.

* * *

 

Viktor got his confirmation that everything was fine with the Dancer and that they had only been taken by surprise. Yuuri said that they weren’t angry and were just glad that he returned the mask.

Enough time had passed for a new ball to be held. Viktor again tried pestering Yuuri into joining him this time, but the answer he got was still negative. On the day of the party Yuuri gave Viktor his new costume and immediately apologised for it being quite simple. As Viktor inspected it he saw that it was indeed more ordinary than the previous one. In his hands he held a black tailcoat, though it did stand out from the usual ones he had seen as it had a big red bow and long crimson strips falling down its back. Yuuri gave him a sheepish grin as he glanced at the blindfold that Viktor had kept on his nightstand. He promised that Viktor would understand once he saw what the Dancer was wearing, said his goodbyes and left the other man alone to prepare for the evening.

Viktor knew that he still looked stunning, even when wearing something simple, and that was evident by the people who surrounded him once he got to the main hall. They complimented on how elegant and refined he looked in the dark tailcoat and he even caught one kid trying to untie the red bow on his back.

“It seems that you’ve come in complementary costumes with the Dancer this time as well,” a young girl commented.

“I have?” Viktor asked, though he already knew the answer from Yuuri. He just didn’t know how exactly they matched.

“Lucky you,” a man laughed. “Who would have thought that wearing something less flashy this time would be the right choice?”

“I’ll have to see it for myself then,” Viktor gave his admirers a dashing smile. “Do you by any chance know where I could find them?”

Before anyone could answer him a new person joined their group with the sound of heels clacking on the intricately tiled floor. Everyone turned their attention to the newcomer and Viktor heard a few stifled gasps alongside of someone murmuring “I’ve never seen them approach someone on their own.”

Before them stood the Dancer, clad in stunning white and frills adorning most of their body. It seemed that they also had a type of a tailcoat, though theirs had a lot more detail and gave the impression of a half-finished bride’s dress. Everything was topped by the fact that they had a translucent veil that fell gorgeously down their shoulders.

The Dancer’s lips curved on the side and they took a few more steps towards Viktor. Once they stood directly in front of him he saw that because of the heels they were both almost the same height, but all he could focus his attention on was the glistening red that marked their lips. He managed to get out of his stupor quickly though, and gave them a bow with one of his hands behind his back. He then extended his hand for the other to take and once they did he kissed the gloved hand. The group of people around them stood in awe watching the exchange. The two of them then proceeded to walk hand in hand towards the dancefloor.

Once they got there they stood in the very middle, the other partygoers making the space for them. Viktor knew that they looked like they were about to go down the aisle and he was silently thanking Yuuri with everything he had. That man was a miracle worker in disguise. 

A new song started and the moment Viktor heard the strums of the guitar he was reminded of the first time the two of them met, though it was clear that now it wasn’t a mix of a few genres but only the sound of flamenco. It felt a bit weird to dance to that kind of music in his current outfit, but it seemed that the Dancer took the most of it as they used the back of their tailcoat as a dress and swayed it to the sides with their hands and hips. Viktor tried to move in sync with them as the music gained a constant rhythm and made the two of them step around each other. The Dancer drew their hand to the side of his face and playfully flicked it as Viktor smiled and took their hand in his, tracing a question mark on their palm with his thumb.

It was easy to lose yourself in the flowing music and Viktor completely forgot about anyone else there, his mind only set on the person in front of him, who was currently dragging their hand down his front towards his abdomen, their masked face inches away from his own and the red of their lips shining from the chandelier light. Viktor didn’t step down as he took hold of one of their hands and placed his other on their waist, lowering his head to the dip between their neck and shoulders and leaning even further, making the Dancer bend in the opposite direction as they arched their back and extended one of their legs, wrapping it around him. They quickly got back from that pose, though the Dancer slid alongside his body and didn’t seem to be in a hurry to move their leg. Viktor smirked at them and got one in return before the other spun around once again and swayed their hips as they traced their hand along them. Viktor was sure he saw them lick their lips.

The song ended with both of them pressing their bodies to each other as they breathed heavily before finally taking a small step back. Viktor felt the warmth of his black costume underneath the bright lights, but he was sure that that wasn’t the only reason. He could faintly hear the people cheering, but all of that was muffled to his ears. He saw the Dancer extend their hand to him and without thinking he took it. Before he knew it they were both heading towards the entrance that also lead outside to the gardens. The Dancer took a small dark cape and covered their back with it as they exited into the evening.  Since Viktor had taken his time to come to this party the light outside was already gone and everything was shrouded in the warm darkness of a summer’s night.

They quickly walked around the front and Viktor could see that the Dancer was trying not to run, though their heels still clacked loudly on the paved ground. He followed right behind them and was honestly not even surprised when he got suddenly pinned against the outward wall of the mansion, the other person pressing their body right against his and he could feel the shivers going down his spine as they breathed right next to his ear.

“Eager, aren’t you,” he managed to say before his lips were taken by the mouth pressed against his. He let his arms roam freely over the Dancer’s body and they seemed more than willing to let him do that. The veil was quickly discarded on the ground as Viktor brushed his fingers through their soft hair, moving to plant kisses down their neck.

Viktor felt the lips all over his face and he had never thought that he’d want to taste someone’s skin as much as he did now. The Dancer wore no perfume and yet they smelled amazing as Viktor nibbled on their ear, the strands of their dark hair ticking his nose. He felt the other bite into his neck, mirroring the place where he had put his face during the dance and he couldn’t help but make a low grunting noise at that. The lips against his skin curved before the other began tracing their tongue along his neck. Viktor hadn’t even noticed when his collar had been loosened, but he wasn’t about to complain. He managed to get his hand underneath the frilly white outfit that the Dancer wore and their muscles reacted to where he moved it, mapping the skin of their stomach and back.

Viktor could hear the soft sounds escaping the other’s lips and took them back in his own again. The inside of their mouth tasted just as sweet as their skin and he loved the feeling of their fingers combing through his hair, tugging on it at places, but never too roughly. He gasped a bit in surprise as he felt teeth on his lips and he saw the smile plastered on their face, which was barely illuminated by the light coming through the windows above them. He smiled back as he drew his tongue across his lips.

During the moment that he had his face drawn back he saw the low light skitter over the narrowed eyes beneath the mask. The reflection seemed almost golden and he wondered if his eyes told as much as the ones he was looking at. More than anything they appeared hungry and he could easily say that the feeling was mutual. He leaned back in to press his lips against the other’s, which were already beginning to feel slightly swollen.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from somewhere close and both of them snapped their heads to look at the source. A man stumbled from around the corner, visibly drunk and barely keeping his balance. The Dancer immediately recoiled from Viktor and he felt the abrupt lack of warmth. The summer night seemed a lot more colder now. The man groaned and said something, slurring his speech so much that Viktor couldn’t make out a word he said. He looked stunned at the intruder before turning his attention back at the Dancer, who was hastily picking up their veil from the ground, their mask slightly off on the side and their lipstick smeared along their lips. They gave him one last glance before hastily taking off towards the maze of hedges.

“Wait-“ Viktor called out, but it was too late as their figure disappeared amongst the greenery. It wouldn’t have been too hard to follow them if not for the dark cape that obscured the shining white clothing and the fact that Viktor would most likely get horribly lost if he stepped foot into that maze again.

He turned back at the man and sighed. This had been going so well and here he had to come and ruin it. Still, Viktor couldn’t deny that he felt too giddy to even get actually angry at him. He craned his neck to look at the windows from where the muffled sounds of music could be heard. He didn’t feel like going back, especially since the person he wanted to go back to wasn’t even there. He sure couldn’t go after the Dancer as he had no clue where they would have gone, so one last option was left in his head.

Go to Yuuri.

He waved the drunkard off and began sprinting down the pathway towards where the back entrance of the mansion was. The servants usually took that one and it was relatively close to where their quarters were. He ran through the empty corridors, most of the people still at the ongoing party, his hurried footsteps resounding through them.

Once he got to Yuuri’s doors he took a deep breath and remembered to knock this time. Who knew, maybe the other man would already be asleep. He heard a bump from the other side of the door and some scuffling before finally a voice calling out “Yes?”

Viktor opened the door and saw Yuuri in the middle of his room, his eyes wide and his hair a complete mess. He was rubbing at his mouth before moving his hand and gaping slightly at Viktor.

“Viktor… what are you doing here?” he asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

“I came here since I couldn’t think of anywhere else I would have wanted to go,” Viktor answered as he closed the door behind him. “Is this a bad time? I can see that you weren’t sleeping, but maybe I interrupted something?”

“No no,” Yuuri shook his hands. “Everything’s fine.” He took a seat in the lone chair in his room. “You… you have a little…” he gestured at his own face.

“Ah, I forgot about that,” Viktor said as he looked around the room for a mirror.

“Here,” Yuuri gave him one from the table.

The moment Viktor saw his face he was glad that he hadn’t run into any people on his way here. There were red lip marks all over it, marking his whole visible skin. He caught the small towel that Yuuri tossed him and began rubbing it fervently.

“Sorry about that, didn’t think it would stick this well,” he laughed.

“Well you seem to have had a great night,” Yuuri commented.

“In fact I did,” Viktor grinned as he put down the towel that was now dirtied with red blotches. “And I wanted to tell someone about it, so I thought ‘Yuuri’s the closest person I know here and he’s probably not busy, so why not?’”

“And what exactly happened?” Yuuri asked with amusement in his voice as he rested his face in his palm.

“It was amazing, Yuuri,” Viktor stepped to the middle of the room and began gesturing theatrically, “The way our costumes matched was perfect - it looked like we were the most stunning couple in the whole hall,” as he said that he clasped both of his hands over Yuuri’s, slightly startling the other. “The Dancer looked absolutely breath-taking and the way they held themselves so confidently was incredible,” he tugged Yuuri towards himself and he got up from the chair. “The song was just like the first time we met and since it was a flamenco we got to move extremely close to each other.” He began to imitate one of the moves he had done and Yuuri easily followed suit, seemingly absorbed in what he was saying. “Their body was so fluid, everything appeared to come simply to them.” He moved side to side and Yuuri nodded as his hand was taken into Viktor’s and drawn upwards, making their bodies and their faces come closer to each other.

“Then what?” Yuuri breathed out as his eyes looked directly into Viktor’s.

“Then the song ended and we took a detour,” Viktor said as he inched his face slightly closer to Yuuri’s.

“What kind of detour..?” the words were barely audible as Yuuri whispered them, the breath from his mouth ghosting over Viktor’s lips.

“A very nice one,” he said in a soft voice as his lips gently brushed along Yuuri’s before taking them in. Yuuri had closed his eyes and Viktor did the same, gingerly cupping the back of his head and interlacing his fingers with the dark hair. This felt so familiar, he could even imagine that he was only continuing where he had previously left off.

As soon as it had started it was over as Yuuri’s eyes snapped open and Viktor saw a flash of pain during the short moment he had before he was forcibly pushed away. Yuuri looked like he had just been kicked and he slowly brought his hand up to fix his glasses.

“Yuuri, I’m-“ Viktor didn’t know what he wanted to say.

“It’s not nice to cheat on others.” Yuuri’s voice sounded weak and quiet.

Viktor tried to say something, but nothing came out of his own mouth. Yuuri only shook his head before lowering it, averting his eyes from Viktor’s. “I think you should leave.”

“Yuuri…”

“I’m not going to repeat myself,” he said in a more stern voice.

“Alright,” Viktor agreed as he took his steps towards the door. He opened it and threw one more glance at Yuuri, whose shoulders were slumped and his head hung low. “I’m sorry.”

Yuuri didn’t say anything back as Viktor closed the door. He stood in front of it for a few more moments, just staring blankly. He heard a low thump and a voice saying something that he thought sounded like “I messed up.”

Viktor took a deep breath before finally turning around and slowly walking back to his own room down the empty corridor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [A bonus conversation](http://imgur.com/n33vpaj) between me and my bro from behind the scenes as I was writing this and later as she was reading it: 
> 
> Even more [art~](http://yaboybokuto.tumblr.com/post/153440289668/it-seems-that-youve-come-in-complementary)


	5. About Viktor and Yuuri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took longer, uni can be a real pain in the ass with the amount of work it piles up right before the exams.  
> There's going to be a bit of russian in this chapter, but I decided not to write it in cyrillic for easier reading (most of it is just swearing though).  
> Song reference:  
> [During the party](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQnxd2BRv_c&t=84s) (I know that it's not technically a specific genre mean for ballroom dancing, but I just really wanted to use it)  
> I hope you enjoy the last chapter~

Yuuri didn’t show up at the lesson the next day. A few people had approached Viktor wanting to ask what had happened with his and the Dancer’s disappearance during the party, but he mostly just brushed them off. He had too much on his mind to explain himself to them.

Viktor waited for Yuuri the whole time their lesson was supposed to be, even though he knew that the other wouldn’t make an appearance. He didn’t really know what to do now as he hadn’t experienced anything similar ever before. Mostly, he just wanted to apologize for his actions, but he didn’t know how to approach the matter and so he just spent his time alone, waiting for something that wouldn’t happen.

During the following week Viktor would catch glimpses of Yuuri in the mansion but whenever the other man would see him, he would quicken his pace or disappear around the corner. The usual dancing lessons continued and Viktor knew that his students had noticed that something was up with him. Yuuri had skipped all of his lessons and to be honest Viktor didn’t even know if those were a thing anymore. He still waited every time.

Yuuri’s group of friends would talk in hushed tones whenever they had free time during the lessons. Viktor saw the glances they made his way, though none of them approached him. Everyone seemed at a loss.

One day during the second week of the silent treatment Viktor overheard a few servants talking about a new stranger in town. Intrigued, he listened in on their conversation and was mildly surprised to hear that the new traveller had come in a fancy chariot and seemed to be royally pissed at something. He appeared to be a teenager with a fair complexion and had been shouting about something at the marketplace, though the servants hadn’t heard what exactly, as they had been in a hurry to get back.

With a sneaking suspicion of whom the new person could be Viktor decided to go into town and check it out himself. It felt slightly off as he walked alone; he had gotten used to always having Yuuri by his side whenever he went there. Finding the newcomer was quite easy as the boy stood out with his blond hair and angry demeanour amongst the interested townspeople.

The moment their eyes met the boy’s face contorted even more and he pushed his way through the crowd that had surrounded him and stomped towards Viktor. The man waved to him happily, though he didn’t get the same response in return.

“Suka, what the fuck do you think you’re doing, huh?” Yurio growled threateningly, but he only came off as an irritated kitten to Viktor.

“Hi, Yurio,” he smiled. “Long time no see.”

“And why do you think it’s that? Have you gone completely stupid that you can’t tell the difference between one month and three?”

“Oh, it’s already been that long?” Viktor cocked his head to the side. He saw that the people around them were trying to mind their own business, but it was clear that most of them were still listening to every word of the conversation. He wondered if they should move somewhere more private, but that thought was soon cut off as Yurio continued with an angry tone.

“Yes! You promised that you’d come back after a month and yet it’s nearing the end of summer and I was the one forced to go and find you, razdrozhajushchy starik.”

“It’s a good thing they don’t fully understand you,” Viktor laughed light-heartedly. He had forgotten how amusing it was to interact with his little cousin.

“Bliat, you think it’s a joke? You better have a fucking good excuse for staying here so long or else I’m hauling your ass back home right this instant,” Yurio snarled and narrowed his eyes.

“Well, I did get a kind of a job here and it was just too much fun.”

“Then you’ll go there and quit.”

“I still have some unfinished business here, though,” Viktor pretended to be deep in thought as he tapped his cheek with his index finger.

“You have unfinished business back home too.” The teen’s patience was visibly running out.

Viktor sighed and put his hands on his hips. “Look, let’s make a deal. I still have some things I need to do here and I can’t just leave so abruptly.” Yurio clicked his tongue. “There’s a party coming up some time soon, so let’s wait until then. I’ll try to finish up with everything and you can also enjoy yourself a little here, what do you say?”

“I think you’re full of shit and can’t be trusted with anything,” Yurio spat back, but Viktor could see that he was thinking over his words in his head.

“Then it’s settled!” The man clapped his hands excitedly and before his cousin could start protesting he was already dragging him towards the mansion. “I’ll ask them to give you a room and you can make yourself at home while you wait.”

Yurio grumbled something about lying bastards, but in the end he followed Viktor. It wasn’t hard to get a permission for him to stay at the mansion for a few weeks and soon he was settled in. He had come with a family servant, so they also found a place for him to be while the time passed.

With everything done, the day was nearing the evening and Viktor finally found himself alone. The whole ordeal with Yurio had taken his mind off from his previous troubles but now he only had his thoughts for company yet again. Wanting to clear his head, he took Makkachin for a walk in the gardens once more.

He had forgotten that he had promised to only take a month before returning, but that shouldn’t have been too surprising – it wasn’t the first time he had spent more time on his travels than initially planned. Admittedly, he had never spent so long in one place. His thoughts wandered back to the Dancer and Yuuri – the two people who were essentially the reason for his prolonged stay. He could say his goodbyes to the Dancer at the party and all that would be left would be a few wonderful memories of their short time together. He could pretend that it had all just been one of his usual escapades, even if that wasn’t entirely true.

Yuuri was a different problem. He still had plenty of time to meet the man and either make up or ruin anything that they had left. Viktor hated the thought of leaving with things being left unresolved, but he was also afraid of making things worse. While being lost in his head Viktor hadn’t noticed where Makkachin was taking him and when he finally came to it was a bit too late to turn back. They had come back to the secluded clearing where he and Yuuri had spent some of their time together and who else but the said man was sitting alone on one of the benches, seemingly deep in thought, before he noticed Viktor, who had stopped dead in his tracks and only looked at the other dumbfounded.

“Sorry, I need to go,” Yuuri said as he stood up and Viktor felt a pang of desperation as he suddenly took a step closer, not wanting to let him run away again.

“Yuuri, wait-“ he raised his hand as if trying to catch the other but thought better of it and let it down back at his side. “I just want to talk about something.”

Yuuri didn’t seem entirely convinced but after he spent a few moments looking at Viktor’s face something changed in him and he sat back down on the bench. “I’m not sure if I want to talk about it, though.”

Viktor shook his head. “No, we can avoid that matter if you prefer to, but there’s something else I need to tell you.” That seemed to catch Yuuri’s attention and so Viktor tried his luck by sitting down on the same bench, though further away from the other person than he was used to. Makkachin came closer to them and rested his head on Yuuri’s lap. He had also missed him.

“Alright, what is it?” Yuuri asked in a tired voice.

“I’m leaving soon.” Viktor decided to just say it as it was. There was no use in beating around the bush.

Yuuri snapped his head back to look at him. Viktor was expecting to see surprise or even relief, but what he saw took him slightly aback. There was sadness and fear in Yuuri’s expression but he quickly hung his head down and focused his attention on Makkachin. “I should have known that. There was no reason for you to stay here for too long.”

Those words stung, though for some reason Viktor felt that Yuuri wasn’t any better off saying them. “I’m not sure if this is any consolation, but if it was my own choice, I would stay here a lot longer,” Viktor said, though he felt like he was just making excuses. “My little cousin has come to get me back and I have already prolonged my original plans of visiting here by quite a bit.”

“Oh…” was all Yuuri said in reply.

“So I made a deal with him,” Viktor continued. “I promised to leave after the next party, so I still have some time.” It was now or never. “Yuuri, I know I messed up and I understand if you don’t want to talk about it but I really don’t want us to part on bad terms. I enjoyed my time here too much and you were one of the main reasons for that.”

“I liked it too,” Yuuri finally spoke up and Viktor saw a small smile form on his face. “You were certainly something new and you made me step out of my comfort zone. I’m really grateful for always having my friends at my side but you were just so much different.” Yuuri didn’t look at Viktor as he spoke, stroking his fingers through Makkachin’s fur, but Viktor could clearly hear the fondness in his voice. “I’ll miss you.” The last words were said almost inaudibly.

“We still have time,” Viktor felt slightly desperate as he said that, fully knowing that those words didn’t mean much.

“We do,” Yuuri agreed before turning to look at Viktor. “You said you’ll stay for one more party, right?” Viktor nodded. “Then I promise to make one last costume for you and this time I’ll attend it too.”

“You will?” Viktor looked at him in surprise. He had mostly given up on the idea of seeing the other at any of the parties.

“Yes, you could call it a parting gift, since I know you always wanted me to go.” Yuuri looked slightly bashful as he said that.

“That’s the best gift I could have asked for.” Viktor smiled and stood up. He extended his hand to Yuuri. “Would you like to join me in walking Makkachin? There’s still time before it gets completely dark.”

Yuuri looked at him for a few moments and Viktor was beginning to think that he’d turn the offer down, but Yuuri took his hand and stood up. He gave a half smile in return and began taking slow steps down the pathway, the dim light of the garden lanterns already beginning to illuminate it.

* * *

 

The next day Yurio had come to Viktor’s lesson, though he didn’t really do anything besides look at everyone from his seat near the gramophone. The people there were interested in the newcomer and had surrounded him, asking where he was from and what he was doing there. Viktor watched in amusement as his little cousin sputtered answers and tried to look intimidating as to get everyone away from him. It seemed that one of Yuuri’s friends, the sweet girl who had seemed the most concerned when he had been sick, had taken a liking to Yurio and had even tried getting him to dance when the lesson was in full swing. That didn’t go too well, but the two did linger after the lesson until the tallest from the group popped his head back in and called for the girl.

Viktor stayed in the room after everyone except for Yurio had gone, hoping that perhaps Yuuri would show up today. They did spend a relatively peaceful evening, walking Makkachin through the gardens and making small talk. It wasn’t completely the same as how it used to be between them, but Viktor was just glad that there at least didn’t seem to be any animosity.

Yurio seemed to be a bit at a loss when Viktor didn’t leave with everyone else, but when the doors opened and Yuuri carefully stepped in, the way Viktor’s face lit up made him scrunch up his nose in disgust. “Who’s this?” he asked while looking the new person up and down.

“This is Yuuri, he has private lessons with me,” Viktor said in a carefree tone as he smiled brightly.

“You’re shitting me,” Yurio stomped his foot down as he stepped closer to Yuuri. “You’re telling me this loser has the same name as me? Nam ne nado dvoich.”

Yuuri looked confused at the short blond and then at Viktor.

“And what’s this about ‘private lessons’?” Yurio growled, now focusing his attention back to Viktor. “Is that your so called unfinished ‘business’? I knew you were desperate, but this is just gross.”

“Now, now, Yurio. It’s not nice to speak to others like that.” Viktor shook his finger in a disciplinary manner and Yurio rolled his eyes. “He’s taking these lessons because he doesn’t like dancing with other people around.”

“Wow, that’s weak.” The blond smirked at Yuuri, who looked completely lost.

“I’ve been getting better, though,” he finally spoke up.

“He has!” Viktor said as he wrapped one of his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders. “I’m really proud of him.”

“Still sounds like a pussy. I bet he’s not even that good.” Yurio narrowed his eyes as he looked at Yuuri.

“Are you good?” Yuuri asked him, seemingly not too taken aback by the rude demeanour of the teen.

“I sure am!” He puffed out his chest.

“Oh, that gives me an idea for today’s lesson then!” Viktor suddenly exclaimed as he clapped his hands.

The wonderful idea that the man had was making the two dance together as to ‘see if Yuuri was already comfortable enough to partner up with someone that wasn’t Viktor’. Needless to say, that didn’t go over well. Viktor basically had to shove the two to even hold hands and when they did begin to move in accordance to the music, it looked like Yurio was ready to bite at any given moment. In the end, Viktor just made them show what they could do with solo dances.

“You really are amazing,” Yuuri said once Yurio had finished his piece. “I’m sure we’re just not cut out to be dancing partners.”

“Pashol nachui,” Yurio spat as he sat down in his chair again. “I don’t need to hear that from you.”

“He’s quite feisty, isn’t he?” Yuuri asked Viktor as the other put on some different music for them to dance to together.

“Always been like that, I think it’s cute,” Viktor answered as they began the box steps for the waltz he had put up.

Yuuri had already gotten fluid and comfortable in his movements enough to easily speak during the slower dances. The two of them carried out a simple conversation of what Yuuri had been doing that day with occasional comments from Yurio in the background, most of which Yuuri didn’t entirely understand. Yuuri had only made one mistake near the end when he accidentally miss-stepped and Viktor had to tighten his grip on the other man so that he wouldn’t stumble too much. Overall, Viktor was happy to see that his lessons had paid off.

* * *

 

The following days fell into a familiar routine, though there still was an air of heaviness lingering between Viktor and Yuuri. It didn’t help that Yurio had decided to keep an eye on Viktor almost anywhere he went, so that he wouldn’t run off somewhere again. That made it a lot harder to bring up anything related to what had happened that one evening, but Viktor felt that the two of them would still eventually talk about it before he had to leave.

After a bit more than a week since Yurio had come, the news of an upcoming ball started circulating. Viktor heard from Phichit during one of the lessons that this one would be a masquerade, just like the first one that he attended. Phichit explained that it was somewhat symbolic since he would be leaving soon. Viktor had only told that to the nobles as he didn’t really want to be swarmed by the townspeople who would ask him why he was leaving. Phichit seemed understanding and he had also dropped a comment about him and Yuuri finally making up. He didn’t say anything else concerning that matter, so Viktor was left trying to figure out how much the young noble knew about them.

Once Yuuri had found out that the party would be a masquerade, he had gotten a look of concern on his face.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll still recognize each other even with the masks,” Viktor assured him as they walked back from the town with baskets of various items in their hands. “We can even go there together so that we wouldn’t waste time searching for one another.”

“That’s not entirely why I’m worried,” Yuuri said cryptically without any further explanation. “Also, I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get there together on the same time. It would be better for us to go separately.” He then went silent for a few minutes, both of them just walking and Viktor thinking if he should say anything. Eventually, Yuuri spoke up again, “I think you’ll be able to tell that it’s me.” He then got a more assured look on his face as he turned to Viktor. “And I want to give you a mask too in addition to the outfit. The whole image can match better then.”

“Alright,” Viktor tried not to laugh at the seriousness in which Yuuri had spoken. It was adorable how invested he was in all of this. “But are you sure I’ll be able to recognize you?”

“I’m sure,” Yuuri said more thoughtfully.

On the day of the party, Yuuri came into Viktor’s room with a handful of clothing and put everything neatly on his bed. Viktor immediately got up from where he had been reading and stood next to the other to see what he had brought. On his bed lay a sleeveless black shirt with a high collar and a white diamond pattern on its front. He also saw black dress pants that blended into white at the very end with a dark pattern on their back. There were a few accessories too, such as long fingerless gloves and a sash for the waist, all of which had the black and white diamond pattern as well. The only thing that was missing was a mask.

Before Viktor could ask, Yuuri showed him a small bag he had been holding. “It’s in here,” he said as he gently put it in Viktor’s hands. “But please, can you promise me one thing?” his voice sounded slightly unsure and small so Viktor nodded as assuredly as he could. “Could you only take it out right before you go inside the main hall?”

“If that’s what you want then of course,” Viktor agreed genuinely. “Is there a reason behind it or is one of your surprises?”

“You could call it that,” Yuuri’s lips curled up a bit as he lowered his head to avoid Viktor’s eyes. “I just think it’ll be the best time for it.”

“Alright then, I promise.” Viktor gave him a warm smile and Yuuri seemed to lose some tension that he had in his shoulders.

“Thank you,” he said before going back to the doors. When he got to them, he turned to look at Viktor and gave him a small wave. “I’ll see you at the party then.”

“And you’re sure I’ll be able to tell it’s you?”

“I’m sure,” Yuuri smiled and closed the doors.

Viktor felt anxious as he put on everything that was given to him. Yurio barged into his room as he was finishing up and demanded that he’d show where everything was being held. The teenager sported a leopard print outfit and a mask with cat-like features. Viktor could tell that he was eagerly awaiting to go to the party even if he pretended that he was only doing that out of obligation.

Viktor took the small bag with the mask inside and proceeded to walk Yurio down the corridors to the main hall from which lively music could already be heard. Yurio had asked him why he wasn’t wearing a mask and made fun of him for forgetting that it was a masquerade, but Viktor let that all slide. Once they were at the entrance, he let his cousin go alone, saying that he needed to do something before that. Yurio tsk’ed but went on inside, saying that he’d try to find some of the people he had gotten to know.

When Viktor was left alone he stood for a few moments, looking at the bag in his hands and wondering why Yuuri had been so secretive about it. What could have been so special about a mask? He finally took a deep breath and took it out.

A simple, slightly worn chequered mask lay in his hands, staring at him with its blank look.

Oh…

Oh.

Viktor’s mind went blank as he looked at the accessory in front of him. He felt like he was underwater as the music coming from inside the hall died down and he could only barely make out the sounds of the party. He slowly raised his arms and gingerly put on the familiar mask, feeling the new band that it had gotten after the last one had snapped. Finally, he stepped forward into the hall, his mind racing with a million thoughts, though one drowned out all of the rest.

Find Yuuri.

The bright lights blinded him for a second before his eyes adjusted. He saw the people turn their attention to him and show visible confusion. A few approached him.

“You look a lot different today.”

“Were you always this tall?”

“Is that a new wig?”

Viktor wasn’t sure if he should answer. Did he need to play along and pretend that he was someone else or just explain himself? Eventually, he decided on the later.

“Oh no, I’m not who you think.” He gave everyone a smile as they stared at him in surprise. “The Dancer and I just decided to play a little game tonight.”

“You mean they’re wearing something else than their usual mask?” a girl with an intricate hairdo asked in disbelief.

“It would seem so,” Viktor answered, though his attention was already elsewhere. He was trying to look through the sea of people to find a glimpse of that familiar figure. “Now, if you’d excuse me, I need to find my partner for tonight’s dance.”

Viktor brushed past the amazed partygoers and strained his eyes. It was slightly more difficult with both of them obscured by the smaller mask, but there was no way he would take it off now. Every time he saw someone with a black and white ensemble he would momentarily think that they were the one he was looking for, but to no avail. He hadn’t seen anyone recognizable on the dancefloor either.

“You’re just as elusive as ever,” he laughed to himself as he continued making his way through the masked crowd.

After some time spent just wandering around and occasionally explaining himself to the confused people that stopped him, Viktor finally made his way to the other end of the hall where most of the food and drinks were placed. Feeling slightly exhausted, mostly by the emotional marathon that his heart was doing at that moment, he decided to get himself a drink to calm his nerves before continuing in his search.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit too early to start getting drunk?” A voice came from beside him and Viktor almost got whiplash from the speed he had turned his head, spilling most of his drink on the table.

Before him stood a person with a very similar outfit to his, though theirs had the colours inverted and the shirt wasn’t a sleeveless one, rather stretching down the whole arm before ending as a fingerless glove. A few other details differed, such as the black and white design at the front, but Viktor’s attention had long shifted from that. The dark haired person’s mask was like a mirror image to the one that he was wearing, except for that fact that the colours were inverted once more. They smiled at him, though the expression looked unsure.

“Dan- Yuuri,” Viktor managed to say.

“Told you you’d be able to recognize me,” he let out a small laugh as he took the now half empty glass out of Viktor’s hands. He then gently took them in his own and raised his head, meeting eye to eye with Viktor. “Would you want to see if those lessons paid off in the end?”

Viktor finally got enough time to get out of the amazed stupor he had put himself in as he shook his head in disbelief and flashed the other man the most sincere smile he could manage. “I’d love to.”

Yuuri led them towards the dancefloor. Viktor could hear that the current song was finishing up and so they were just in time for a new one. He couldn’t take his eyes off the person in front of him, even as they navigated their way through the other dancers and took their place in a more open space. He was sure he had stumbled into someone, but at that moment he didn’t really pay much attention to anything else.

The two of them took a close stance, their arms already wrapping around each other before even hearing what kind of song would play. Viktor knew that both of them were more than capable of improvising on the spot. A simple melody from the piano resounded through the hall and they stepped in unison in accordance to the one note that kept repeating itself. Viktor could see Yuuri’s expression soften and a realization came to him.

“Isn’t this the song you had been humming when I first saw you?” he asked as the music began fastening its pace.

“It is,” Yuuri gave the simple answer. “It’s one of my favourites, though they don’t play it often as it’s not very comfortable to dance to.”

“I love it,” Viktor said as a new sound of the violin joined in and the whole atmosphere got more energetic.

Viktor felt elated as they moved with the swift melody and seeing Yuuri’s bright smile every time one of them would make a twirl, their hands never letting go of each other. They got closer once again as the music suddenly dipped and only the simple melody of the piano was left once more. Yuuri hung his head a little and Viktor took that chance to lower his own, making their masks clank where they met at their foreheads. Both of them took a few slow steps before the piano picked up again and finally the violin joined in once more, harmonising with the other instrument instead of having its own melody like before.

In the middle of one faster sequence Yuuri miss-stepped just how he had done during one of their lessons and Viktor tightened his grip as to not let him fall.

“Oops,” Yuuri said with a playful smile on his face and Viktor felt his heart skip a beat.

As the music died down, Yuuri made one last spin and Viktor put the hand in which he had been holding Yuuri’s around the other man, catching him in a one armed hug as the other laughed and leaned into it. He craned his neck to look at Viktor and the other couldn’t help but lightly kiss the top of his head. Finally, they untangled themselves from each other and stood there for a few moments, just looking at the one before them.

“Do you want to take a walk?” Viktor asked and Yuuri nodded.

This time Viktor was the one who led them outside and the evening air was a pleasant shift from the warmth inside the hall. As they walked, he could see some of the people throwing curious glances their way. He wondered what kind of rumours were already circulating about them.

At first the two of them walked in silence through the illuminated gardens, though Viktor had never let go of the hand in his, subconsciously still having the small fear that if he did, the man next to him would disappear once again. Yuuri didn’t seem to mind as he took the chance to intertwine their fingers.

A far-off sound of the music coming from the mansion could still be heard as they came to the destination Viktor had had in mind. The clearing was already cast in a soothing blue-green light from the lanterns and it looked even more welcoming than before. He stopped once they were next to one of the benches and turned back to look at Yuuri, who looked slightly confused but expectant.

“May I?” Viktor asked as he brought his hands up to the mask on the other’s face. Yuuri nodded and a fleeting thought of how he must still be in the state of playing the Dancer’s persona crossed Viktor’s mind. He gently placed his fingers on the accessory and removed it from his face.

Yuuri’s eyes were shining as he blinked a few times before raising up his own hands up to Viktor’s face. “Could I as well?”

Viktor gave a smile as his answer and Yuuri made the same motion of removing the mask. The two of them stood holding the masks in their hands and finally seeing eye to eye without any obstructions. Viktor relished in the moment a bit more before slowly taking the mask in Yuuri’s hands and carefully putting both of them down on the bench next to each other.

“One more dance?” he asked as he extended his hand for Yuuri to take.

A faint melody still travelled through the air, but the two of them didn’t strain their ears too much to hear it, opting to just slow-dance to whatever rhythm they had in their own minds. Viktor couldn’t stop thinking how amazing Yuuri looked in the form-fitting costume, but his thoughts were quickly interrupted by a small giggle escaping Yuuri’s lips.

“What’s so funny?” he asked in amusement.

“I was just thinking how surprised you looked when you saw me at the party.” Yuuri covered his mouth with his hand as he continued to grin.

“Well I was. I had no idea it was you,” Viktor said honestly.

“Really?” Yuuri’s eyes widened slightly. “You had no clue it was me? Not even the slightest?”

“I didn’t.”

That made Yuuri burst out into a full out laugh as Viktor tried to hold on to the shaking man, now beginning to feel embarrassment creeping up on him.

“Wow, and I thought I was being too obvious,” Yuuri finally managed to say in-between his laughter. “I mean the whole black and white theme for our costumes was like a huge hint, especially towards the mask. And don’t get me started on the fact that you got pretty close to me during our lessons for you to be able to tell that the Dancer and I had the exact body type.”

“I know, I know,” Viktor sighed, knowing that his face was most likely glowing red. “Your personalities were just so different during the parties and outside of them that I didn’t make the connection.”

“I still remember when you said that you’d look for me. Didn’t really live up to that promise, huh?” Yuuri smirked.

Viktor playfully nudged the other man in the arm as he continued to laugh. It was nice seeing Yuuri so relaxed and he didn’t mind being called out on his foolishness if he could experience that. “Alright, I admit it – I was stupid.”

“Still kind of are,” Yuuri said as Viktor gave him a look. “But that’s one of the things that I like about you.”

“There are still a few things I’m a bit confused about.” Viktor decided to try his luck since it seemed that Yuuri was in a talkative mood. The other hummed as an answer and so he continued, “Why did you act the way you did after I kissed you?”

That made Yuuri stop for a bit as his face shifted to a more reserved expression, his lips pressing tightly. He rested his head against Viktor’s shoulder and spoke against it, “I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?” Viktor tried to make his voice as soothing as possible.

“Afraid that I was just a replacement for the Dancer. It had already been quite difficult trying to keep my feelings separate and then you went and did that. It was so confusing trying to figure out whom you actually liked and I thought that it was obvious that I was just a stand in at that moment. You fell for the Dancer after all, not for Yuuri.”

Viktor could hear the tiredness in Yuuri’s voice as he spoke. It was clear that he had lost a lot of time just thinking over everything. Most likely overthinking as well.

“I’m so sorry about that, but you’re wrong,” he said as Yuuri raised his head back up to look at Viktor in confusion. “I did fall for the Dancer’s passion and confidence, but I also fell for Yuuri’s simplicity and comfort. I fell for _you_.”

Yuuri blinked at him a few times before quickly burrowing his head in Viktor’s shoulders again. “I can’t believe that I was my own love rival. How stupid and confusing is that?”

“Not as confusing as falling for two people at the same time and then finding out that they were only one person,” Viktor said as he rested his chin atop Yuuri’s head.

The two of them had slowed their movements to only a lazy rhythmic swing from one side to another. After spending a few more minutes in silence Viktor spoke up again.

“So was the whole thing with you being unable to dance in front of other people just an act?”

Yuuri sniggered before flashing a sly smirk to him. “Please, I know I can act, but not even I’m that good. It wasn’t a ruse or anything.”

“Then what was it?” Viktor raised one eyebrow. “I mean you were wonderful as the Dancer and yet you were so stiff and uncomfortable in your own body during the first lessons.”

“I wasn’t lying when I said that I can’t dance with other people around,” Yuuri hummed. “It’s a bit more difficult than me just pretending.”

“Would it be too much for me to ask why?”

Yuuri shook his head, “No, I guess it was about time I told someone about this. I had always loved to dance when I was little, but was never really good at it. I had a lot of time on my own since I didn’t have a lot of friends, so I spent it learning how to get better, but whenever I did try to dance with a few of the friends that I had, I would always mess up horribly. They told me that dancing was probably just not my forte, but it was hard for me to let it go. One day a few of the neighbour kids decided to throw a mini party of their own, just like the ones that the nobles did. Everyone was invited, but we needed to come in costumes and masks. My friends brought me there and for the first time in my life I didn’t mess up when I was dancing.” Yuuri got a nostalgic look full of warmth on his face and Viktor brushed his thumb over the other’s hand to encourage him.

“I realised that with a mask on I felt a lot freer, like I was a different person who could do whatever they wanted. I know it sounds ridiculous now, but at that time it was ground-breaking for me. As I grew older I continued practising on my own and once I reached eighteen one of my friends at the mansion offered me to work there. Since I had nowhere else to go, I accepted it and began working there alongside Yuko and Takeshi. Phichit was also the one who let me take whatever I wanted from the unused materials and I promised to make him some outfits for the parties. That had been one of my other hobbies while growing up and I just wanted to thank him somehow.”

“You said you also made some for your other friends, right?”

“I did, it was fun for me to see them talk excitedly about the parties that I still avoided going to. I was never one to go somewhere with so many people, but seeing them so happy made me envy them and eventually I decided to try going to one myself. It was a lucky coincidence that the first ball I attended was a masquerade. At first I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be doing, but once someone asked me for a dance I gladly agreed and it was just so exhilarating. I felt like I could do anything I wanted since no one knew who I really was. I think I danced with half of the people there that night, it was just so much fun.”

“I’m so happy that you enjoyed yourself,” Viktor said in a soft voice and Yuuri gave him a shy smile.

“I chose to go to the next party, but it was kind of a disaster compared to the previous one,” he laughed. “Since I wasn’t wearing a mask I mixed my steps and had to apologise to the person who had invited me to be their partner. After that I mostly just spent my time by the food and drinks table and eventually left early in the evening. I was so embarrassed I skipped the next few parties and had thought that I would never go there again, but something still kept gnawing at me. I wanted to enjoy myself like I had during the masquerade and after a while I couldn’t take it anymore. I went to one of the parties with the same mask and at first everyone looked at me weirdly as I was the only one wearing that, but I tried to ignore it. The people got over my eccentricity quickly and again I got a myriad of offers to dance with everyone. During that night I decided that I would just hide my identity and let them refer to me however they wanted. I kept my voice silent and my costumes elusive and soon I found out that the townspeople had created a persona for me – the Dancer. I went along with it, even if some of the rumours were quite funny. I have no idea where the one in which I only choose the best partners came from, but since everyone liked the act I played my role. My only concern was that I had to keep my identity completely hidden, since I knew I wouldn’t be able to attend the parties if I was found out, but it seemed that the whole town liked the idea of a mystery person and never really tried to unmask me.”

“I did hear that you never missed a single party for about five years,” Viktor said in an amused tone. “Wasn’t that exhausting?”

“Not at all. The parties were the most fun I would have.”

“What about the costumes? I’m sure there weren’t five years’ worth of them in your room.”

“I remade a lot of them, but mostly I just gave them away anonymously. Not everyone can afford these kinds of materials and I didn’t have a use for them after all.”

Viktor shook his head in disbelief and hugged the man closer. He couldn’t believe how amazing the one before him was. Yuuri spluttered a bit from the surprise, but after the initial shock he wrapped his arms around Viktor too.

“Didn’t I mess up your plan?” Viktor asked as he drew back to look at Yuuri.

“I guess you did,” Yuuri sighed in return, though there was a hint of a smile in his features. “But I think I wanted you to.”

At those words Viktor couldn’t help himself anymore and he leaned in closer. Yuuri closed his eyes and their lips met in a kiss that was a lot slower and more tender than the ones they had previously shared, but it was just as amazing. There was finally nothing in-between them and Viktor smiled as he heard a soft hum escape Yuuri’s lips.

After a few more moments they parted, though their arms were still tightly wrapped around each other. Viktor stared in amazement at the man before him, his cheeks slightly highlighted by the faint blush on them.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” he spoke.

“About what?” Yuuri asked with a slight tilt to his head.

“You did make a mistake while we were dancing back at the hall.” Yuuri rolled his eyes at that with a smile on his face. “So that means our lessons aren’t still done yet.”

“You’re leaving, though.” Yuuri scrunched up his eyes a bit.

“Indeed I am, but what do you say about joining me?” Viktor grinned as Yuuri’s eyes widened. “We could continue with our lessons and I could show you my home. I think that sounds pretty great, doesn’t it?”

Yuuri stared at him with his mouth slightly open before he suddenly took Viktor’s face in his hands and pressed it tightly to the other’s. This time it was Viktor’s turn to be taken by surprise and he stumbled backwards before losing his footing and making both of them fall down on the soft grass. Yuuri laughed as he steadied himself and looked at Viktor from where he had pinned the other man down.

“I think it sounds perfect.”

* * *

 

The two of them had returned to the main hall after some more time spent alone in the clearing that Viktor had begun calling their own. They had put their masks back on, though this time they exchanged them and Yuuri once again wore the Dancer’s. Viktor managed to find Phichit with a bit of help from Yuuri and asked him if he could make an announcement to everyone. He got the permission and so he stood alone at the top of the stairs, where usually the nobles made their appearance. Everyone turned their attention to him and he declared that this would be the last party he would attend as he would be leaving shortly after. As he spoke, he could see Yuuri standing near the end of the stairs, listening intently to what he had been saying.

The people were devastated at the news, but Viktor knew that they wouldn’t stay sad for long. After all, it was a party. Once he was done with his speech, he agreed to everyone who wanted to dance with him and occasionally he’d see Yuuri from the corner of his eye, dancing with someone else as well, but always managing to throw a smile his way.

In the morning, he gathered all of his things and with the help of the servant that had come with Yurio they put everything inside the chariot. During that time, he knew that Yuuri was also gathering everything he needed and saying his goodbyes to his friends. He let himself be swooped away by the townspeople who wanted to see him for the last time, though Yurio stayed by his side, angrily mumbling to himself. He promised they would leave once he had bid his last farewells, but in reality he was waiting for Yuuri to appear.

They had talked everything over in more detail and had decided that Yuuri would spend some time back at Viktor’s home as his guest and partner. Yuuri still wanted to go back to visit this town whenever he could and Viktor agreed, saying that the two of them could travel wherever they wanted. Since Yuuri lived alone it wasn’t hard for him to leave and he was sure that his friends would understand.

Once the day was halfway through and Yurio was kicking things in frustration, Yuuri finally came with a couple of bags and a few of his friends in tow. Viktor waved happily to them and offered to take Yuuri’s things into their ride. He saw the confused look Yurio gave them, but decided that it would be more amusing to just not say anything to the blond teen. The girl that had made friends with Yurio approached him and they made small talk as Yuuri’s other friends lingered at the side.

As Viktor was putting the last bag inside the chariot, he saw the young noble with the brightly coloured hair waving at him. He waved back before wrapping one of his arms around Yuuri’s waist and bringing the other closer to him. As Yuuri asked what he was doing he winked at the kid and then proceeded to see one of the most hilarious shifts of emotion on someone’s face.

At first the young noble stared at him in slight confusion before something apparently clicked in his head and his jaw dropped. He opened and closed his mouth several times as his hands rose up in a choppy manner. Viktor nodded and mimicked a mask on his face with his free hand before pretending to take it off.

Yuuri saw the weird reaction on his friend’s face and gave Viktor an annoyed look. “Did you say something mean to him?”

“Not at all,” Viktor said playfully as he said his final goodbyes and ushered Makkachin and Yurio to get in the chariot.

Needless to say, Yurio was less than enthusiastic once he found out that Yuuri would be traveling back with them, but it was slightly too late to change anything as the horses moving the chariot began their stride. It would be a long ride home, but it would sure be interesting.

Yuuri had promised that he would come back sometime soon and so his friends waved the disappearing chariot goodbye, all while Kenjirou was still gaping like a drowning man. The other townspeople joined in with their farewells to the handsome traveller that had made their quiet lives a bit more interesting during the summer.

The next ball felt lonelier as neither of the main performers made their appearance there.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading till the end (*^▽^*)  
> Here are the [references](http://imgur.com/a/fbwT9) for the costumes if they are a bit hard to imagine   
> \+ [some amazing art](http://yaboybokuto.tumblr.com/post/155577181348/last-dance-a-scene-from-masks-off-by)  
> Now that this is finished a couple of friends and I are actually working on [something new](http://yurka-on-ice.tumblr.com/tagged/yoi-mafia-au)  
> Stick around if you're interested in that and I hope to see you soon ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ


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